The Greatest Show Unearthed
by UnderTheSkyy
Summary: Step Right Up! Behind this curtain lies a ghastly concotion of delight, horror, fantasy, and terror. Your every wish is our command, your every whimsical desire brought to life; but I'm warning you, there's always a price... Dark Graphic Content, SasuXSak
1. Dacnomaniac

_Dance,_

_Untill your feet bleed._

_Just, dance,_

_Untill I say stop._

I remember for the longest time, I was without a purpose. What was I to the world? What impact had I made? When I died, who was going to remember me? I had asked myself these questions over and over, so many times, but I never had my answer.

What did I posses?

I was a wealthy man, a Lord. I was invited to all the parties, events, and functions. I was held in high regard in society as a well respected and honorable business man. To say I lived comfortably would be quite an accurate statement.

But I was never happy, was I?

I never felt as though I was complete.

And neither did that little boy. That little boy and his wonderful, spectacular doll.

He came to me one night, in rags and covered in dirt from head to toe. He was running away from his small village on the outskirts of the city. They thought he was a demon, a monster. And perhaps he was. But I took him in anyway, and never had my life changed so drastically.

Then, others started to come.

They were monsters, just like him. They were damned with these strange and cursed abilities that caused everyone around them to shun them, defile them, degrade them, and eventually, seek them out and kill them. But not I. No, I loved them. All these wonderful, gifted, and _beautiful_ children. I loved them, and that's why they stayed.

_And, that's how their chains started to form._

I knew now that my money was meant for another purpose. That _I _was meant for another purpose. And that's how the carnival started.

Oh, but it wasn't as great a carnival as it was now. No, at first, it was a small show. The children put together little acts, and the crowds loved them, especially the little boy and his wonderful little doll. Gradually, we become more known in the area, people started to talk and we gained more and more publicity.

We were a hit.

Soon, we got larger and larger. We had huge tents, caravans, props, animals, and everything a _normal_ carnival had. I hired help and a few everyday performers to blend help us blend in with the surroundings. After all, we couldn't have people beginning to become suspicious, could we?

People adored us, love us, loved what we _did_ to them. They loved the joy, the thrill, the chills that we made run up their spine. We were amazing, horrifying, disgusting-

_We could make them bleed inside out._-and in an insain way, beautiful. That was what my little children felt. Beauty.

And that why my lovely little performers stayed. Because they were _loved_ again.

_And the chains became stronger and stronger and-_

Now, as famous as we were, I still had not thought of a name for our wonderful little show. I was perplexed by this; and I needed to think of the perfect thing, the right words that could truly describe the utter terror and evil that masked our carnival.

And then, I heard the sweetest, most beautiful sound.

The shrill voice of a wailing child and the cries of its pathetic mother. The child was so frightened and traumatized by the scenes before him that he couldn't stop screaming no matter how gently he was consoled.

The mother, distraught and humiliated by her child, almost lost her mind and screamed before everyone around her.

"This...This show...its, its..._Unearthed!_"

That was it. As the child poured its salty-sweet tears and continue with the wails and pleas for salvation, I knew what we were to be called. For we were not the greatest show on earth, no, we were far, far more magnanimous then that. We were the Unearthed. The damned, the deformed, the hideous, the underworlders. We were The Greatest Show Unearthed.

And that day I laughed. Laughter could be herd mixed in with the screams from the excited crowds, the shrieking women, the sickening music, and the crying child, but most of all, my insane, sadistic laughter dawned over all. For I knew that day that I was the lord of these damned, the king of the shunned, the ruler of the daemons, and never would I let any one of my little minions free from my hot, steel

_**chains**_.

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**The Greatest Show Unearthed  
Act One  
Dacnomaniac**

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The big top was empty. The stadium seats were vacant; the arena was without a performer, the air clear of any carnival music. All was quiet and undisturbed. Undisturbed, but for three lone souls.

The first was an older man, probably around his thirties. He sat casually in one of the stadium seats with his feet propped up and crossed. His silvery hair shone in the little light that passed through the tent and his masked face only showed one eye, giving him an air of mystery.

The second was a young woman who lay on her hands and knees panting heavily in the center of the arena. Her dark red hair was long and in disarray on one side, while the other was short and nicely kept. Her face was covered in sweat and her thick rimmed glasses were dirty and looked ready to fall off her face.

Finally, the last of the three. He stood hunched over with his hands on his knees and, like the woman, was in the center of the performing arena and panting. His dark messy hair covered his eyes and his pale skin was adorned with beads of sweat.

The arena was filled with thousands of empty seats, food items and wrappers discarded all over the cold floor. The top of the tent was a thick material cloth but so strong that it could practically withstand any manner of ailment. Strings and vines hung from this tent and long nets and poles adorned the corners of the stage and in the center of it all. The younger boy, the air-deprived boy, still grasping for air as dust begun to clear from his previous actions. His head still hung low.

Finally, the lone sound of deep intakes of breath was broken.

"Hm, that was good..." spoke up the masked man, "Really good... So... how'd you do it?"

The boy stopped his panting for a short second upon hearing his comment, but then went back to his usual rhythm. He gave a slight smirk, still not looking up from the ground.

"You know the magicians code...Never reveal your secrets..." responded the boy with a snort.

The man gave a lazy, sarcastic chuckle, "Hm, funny, really, but I been there kid, and I know every trick in the book, but never in my years have I seen that. Now, you can tell me how it's done, or you can leave. Your choice."

The boy's smirk just widened, "So you're telling me that all the acts in this joint are all a bunch of bullshit? If you're asking me how I do my act, then you must already know the secrets to all the others. So it's all just a lie then?"

The older mans eyes narrowed dangerously. This kid was playing with him, trying to out-smart him into something. Trying to make a fool out of him.

And he didn't like it.

"No, not entirely true. Some of the people in the place are nothing, worthless, replaceable. But, believe me when I say that what you see from the _real_ performers is no joke. So, tell me kid, how's your little trick done?"

The boy said nothing for a short time. Then, he slowly raised his head, chuckling, with a smirk plastered across his face. But, what alarmed the older man so much more was the fact that his eyes were flashing red in a dangerous pattern.

_Its no trick, it's the real shit._

The grey haired man's one eye widened for a split second but then slowly dropped. He examined the boy in front of him again and then stiffened for a moment.

"So, your one of them, then? One of the real damned..." said the older man in an almost accusing tone.

The boy chuckled again, "Heh, believe what you want, old man, but I came here for my own purposes, not for some cheep magician bullshit that I see pulled here."

The older man was silent and contemplated on his words for what seemed to be an eternity. Finally, he looked up at the two people, practically kids, in front of him, and came to a decision.

"You have one shot, if the crowd likes you, you're in. If not, then you pack up and head somewhere else. Come tomorrow night and see the show, get to know the style of each performer. Stay behind after it ends and I'll introduce you. The following day will be your shot, got it?" instructed the man.

"... So when do I get to meet the real man behind this? The real ring master." questioned the boy.

The grey mans eye narrowed as he thought carefully how to answer the boy's question. He placed he feet off the chair that propped them up and onto the ground, keeping his arms folded and his eye still locked with the boy's.

"No one see's him unless called, and you're usually only called if you've had a connection with him in the other life, if you're lucky that is. The only person he speaks to him directly is me." answered the older man.

"Other life?" questioned the ebony haired boy.

"The life before the Unearthed was formed, the past life. Before..." trailed off the grey haired man.

The older man got up from his position and casually made his way over to one of the main exits with his hands stuffed lazily in his pockets. He almost made his way out the exit when he casually tuned his head back to the boy. The boy's body was still recovering and he was still propped on his knees, hair still covering his dropped face.

"You sure you want this? Because once you're in, in for real that is, there is no turning back, especially for our kind. We see too much, we know too much, we can do too much. Once you're in, there is no out. Are you ready for that, kid?" asked the lazy man, not really expecting an answer.

The boy smirked, "Yes."

* * *

_**London, 1879**_

"Aww! Dammit, it's raining! I was hoping Ring Master would let me do my routine without the top off; it would have given it such a crazy effect. Fuck."

As the girl said, it indeed was raining, pouring actually. Dark clouds hung ominously in the sky and the only lights allowed through the mess were the few lightning bolts piercing through. The dirt road they traveled on by at least a hundred caravans was covered with sticky mud that clung to the wheels of the wagons and the hooves of the horses of the horses that pulled them.

Two girls were sitting in a small caravan with one side exposed so the rain and damp air could be felt. The dark skys and blackened mud on the ground gave off a chilling omen.

The second of the girls was sitting against the cloth wall of the caravan and had her eyes transfixed onto the chilling atmosphere outside her, like she was hypnotized.

"I don't know why you're always so upset when it rains, Ms. Ino. I would love to just go out there any day and feel the water on my skin," sighed the second girl in a bitter tone.

The blond girl referred to as Ino turned around and gave the second girl a cold expression. She was one of the only ones not to pity this girl because of her...predicament. She would not feel sorry for her so easily.

"I don't like it when it rains because it's so dark and nasty outside, I prefer it when it's sunny and pretty out," snapped Ino as she gave the rain and the other girl cold glares.

The second girl gave a light snort, "So says one of the damned. I think that you need to be a bit more optimistic about the rain, Ms. Ino. The Ring Master wouldn't let you do your routine in the sunny outside anyways because it would take away from the spookiness of the carnival. Maybe if you did it at night, or in the rain, then it would give off a really chilling touch."

"Ugh, I don't want to do _my_ routine during the fucking night or in the fucking rain. I hate this whole dark fucking place, I swear, one of these days, Sakura, I'm gonna-"

"Corrupting my cherry blossom's mind again, are we Ino?" spoke up a new, deep voice.

Ino visibly stiffened and her eyes widened slightly as she turned her sitting position to look out the exposed side of the caravan. There, riding on a horse, was a clocked figure with a dark hood covering most of his face. Ino gave off a cold glare to the figure where as the other girl referred to as Sakura just flashed a light smile.

"Good evening, Master. Enjoying the rain?" Sakura questioned.

Ignoring the girl's question, the cloaked man shifted his gaze to the still glaring Ino and then back to the smiling girl.

"Sakura, why do you insist on spending you time with this free-loading pig anyways? Could you not find something more productive to do during your leisure time?" questioned the deep voice.

Ino's glare increased as she let out a low hiss.

"Free loader? I'm one of the star attractions! Your little 'blossom' here would do well to learn some knew tricks from _me_, or it should be _you_ who should learn from _me_ seeing as you're always the one pulling the strings," she retorted sharply.

The man on the horse chuckled, "I believe, my dear, and the correct term is 'one of' the main attractions, whereas Sakura and I _are_ the main attraction. I believe _you_ would do well to remember that and to mind your tongue."

Ino gritted her teeth in a warning tone, "Why you-"

"Ms. Ino, look, were almost at our new site! Please don't be too angry. You're due to perform in a few hours," coaxed Sakura as she reached over to gently take hold of Ino's shoulder.

"...Fine, whatever, just get that freak over there out of here. Now," hissed Ino as she folded her arms in a huff.

A slight smile graced Sakura's ivory skin and she turned her head to meet the covered face of the horse rider.

"I'll fix Ms. Ino up and then meet you once the big tent is set up. Don't worry; I'll have her take me. But, please, Master, you mustn't be so rude to Ms. Ino all the time you know." giggled Sakura.

A very faint smile could be seen on the exposed part of the man's face before it disappeared. He gave a light nod and redirected his horse away from the girl's caravan. Ino, still sulking, snapped her head around to see if he was gone and gave a huff.

"I really don't know how you can tolerate him, Sakura. You must have the patience of a saint," she grunted.

The girls felt the caravan come to a stop. Shouts and loud voices could be herd all over as the other caravans begun to unload by strong men and tents being set up all over. Sakura smiled and turned to answer Ino.

"Thats odd, he says the same thing to me about you."

* * *

The crowds cheered their as the young blond girl smiled and bowed. She blew out kisses to the happy people and they begun to cheer louder and louder. The girl wore a tight body suit that looked much like a swimsuit with long sleeves. It was white and sparkled in the light, with one blue streak down the center. Her hair was in a high pony tail and she wore a blue bandanna tightly wrapped around her head.

Roses and all manner of flowers were being thrown towards her in the performing ring. The girl in the center flashed her smile brighter and brighter and soaked up the crowd's praise.

"THANK YOU, THANK YOU, EVERYONE, ONE LAST TIME FOR MS. INO YAMANAKA, THE DISSAPEARING TRAPIEZE ARTIST," screamed a new voice.

A young blond boy ran into the area with a large voice projector in his hands. He stood next to the blond woman and held her hand high up in the air for one last bow. The crowds cheered louder and more and more flowers were thrown.

"Naruto, I told you I wanted another encore..." gritted the girl through her smiling teeth.

"Well,_ I _told _you_ that you have to stop parading your ass around here like its Cirque de Sole. We're a _dark carnival_, not the fucking ice capades." gritted back the blond boy while maintaining his fake smile.

Ino gave one last smile and _gently _hit the boy on the back of his head, causing him to flinch. She picked up a few red roses and with one last kiss to the audience, Ino strut her way out of the arena. The large crowd begun to quiet down and slowly the bright white lights begun to die down into a musty grey so only the center of the circus arena could be seen.

Naruto was now standing in the very center of the performing arena with his head tilted down ward. His eyes looked dark and almost demonic as he slowly brought the voice projector up to his lips. The crowd was still, silently anticipating the arrival of what all were waiting for.

"We have traveled all over the world... This carnival has seen things from every corner of the globe..." started Naruto, his voice echoing throughout the tent. "...But, the most amazing thing that any of us had ever seen comes in the form of..."

As Naruto spoke, one by one, little torches of fire began to light up around the floor of the area, lightly lighting it up but still dark enough to hide most of the arena in darkness.

"A little wooden puppet."

The crowd was on the edge of their seats, anticipating what they all knew was going to happen. No one ever comes to The Greatest Show Unearthed without knowing about this one very special act... That's what draws people here... This one, act alone... Is what makes the skin on their body's _crawl_.

"A puppet... And of course, its master... A man who is known to have the hands of a magician, skillfully crafting his toys to replicate that of the human body... A man whose strings are stronger then iron... Whose ability rivals that of a _god_... A man, who can make puppets that almost look...

_**Alive**_"

"MAKE WAY FOR THE PUPPET MASTER!"

Naruto crackled a loud, menacing laugh and threw his arm, as a large puff of smoke to appear. The crowd gasped and when the smoke cleared, Naruto could not be found, but in his place was another man...

The man wore a black velvet cape with a hood that covered most of the top half of his face. His visible mouth was in a strait, emotionless line that adorned his pale, untouched skin. He stood dead center in the arena with only one large light shining down on him and the little bits of fire torches outlining the circle.

The man drew his cape open slightly to reveal a large, black box wrapped in red chains.He drew the box from out of his cape and placed it so the audience could have a full view, only increasing their growing curiosity.

The crowd was on the edge of their seats. Everyone knew of the Unearthed Carnival, but what made it so famous itself was this one show... The puppet master and his special dolls...

Soon after the large box was placed on the ground it begun to jiggle, causing the crowd to stir. It sat there, shaking, before finally snapping open. There, in the open box was a life sized puppet with…

…_pink hair._

The puppet's hair was long, reaching its waist and looking as if it were made of strands of silk. The puppet wore a long, white dress with a layer of black lace over it. It was cut off at the shoulders and was very long, almost too long for the doll. The sleeves were long as well, coming past its hand and to mid-thigh. It seemed to be a perfectly proportioned woman.

What seemed to frighten and yet excite the crowd the most was its face. Its lips were a blood red, in contrast with its pale ivory skin, and its eyes glittered brighter then emeralds. Plastered on its face was a happy, almost chilling smile that seemed to have so much to say, but was silent.

The man raised his right hand in the air horizontally and kept it there for a short period of time. He then made one quick jerking movement and the doll jiggled again. He moved his hand again and the doll replied with another quick movement. The man paused for a moment and then made one slow sweeping movement with his hand. The doll slowly rose in an ungraceful, almost lazy manner and stood crookedly before the audience.

Both the doll's upper arms were horizontal but the forearms dangled vertically. Its back was hunched slightly and its head was crookedly looking up to the roof. The puppet's legs were crooked and looked unstable, with its feet pointed in the opposite direction of its legs. The crowd was still silent.

Breaking the silence, the hooded man snapped his fingers and the doll immediately straightened. Its arms rested at its sides and its back was no longer hunched but upright and poised. Its head was perfectly centered and the doll's legs were in a proper line.

_Then, the real fun began._

The dark man begun to sway both his arms from side to side, causing the puppet to also move its body to the rhythm. Slow, soft music begun to play, growing louder and louder with every movement of the dolls body. The man's skillful fingers begun twisting and turning in all different ways and directions, making the pretty little puppet dance around and around.

The music was like that of which you heard at a ballet or opera, soft but powerful. The puppet's body was able to move more beautifully then any other living dancer known to man.

As the music grew louder, little puppets that seemed like small children began to come to life out of nowhere, dancing a beautiful ballet, just as the main doll was.

The puppet master's body twisted about to control the hundreds of little dolls around the arena. The motions looked tiring and difficult, but at the same time he, too, looked as if he were also a part of the disturbing, yet addictive, dance.

Under the master's breath you could hear him mumbling little chants that could not be understood. If anyone was truly close to him you could assume he was muttering some type of curse or spell.

And then, in one swift motion, the pink haired doll's dancing body begun to float up into the air, followed by the little dancing children. They hovered above the audience, dancing their masters will, but no matter how many puppets were up there the whole audience was entranced by the single emerald-eyed beauty.

They were mesmerized, hypnotized even, by that one little doll. It was perfect, flawless, beautiful, but the only thing that gave it away that it wasn't real, that it really wasn't human, was the doll's smile. It wasn't real, no, the audience wanted to see the _real_ smile that was hiding behind the plastered fake expression. That's what mesmerized them so, waiting to see her _truly_ smile.

_But they never would._

The music ended in one loud note and in that very split second all the dolls stopped and begun to float back onto the floor. The lights dimmed and, in a flash, all the puppets disappeared, except for the pink-haired dancer. It hung lifelessly in the arms of the masked puppet master; its body motionless once again, with the disturbing smile still hovering on those perfect lips.

The crowed was silent for what seemed like years, still trying to absorb the thrill that they had just experienced. In one quick jolt, the entire audience was on their feet, screaming and clapping, whistling and howling, high off of the entire dance itself. The women in the audience envied the doll, but yearned to just get up close to look at it and touch it. All the men fell in love with the pink puppet, longing to hold it and just be swept away again.

The puppet master nodded his head in thanks but he knew that it was not he who they cheered for. It was not he, the man behind the magic, that they praised. No, for true to their screams and pleads for more, it was the little doll that slept lifelessly in his strong arms that they were really admiring.

He did not envy his doll, though, nor did he wish that it was really he who received the praises from the audience. No, because he knew that in the end, when all was done, he was still the puppet master, and she was still his doll. She was still the one who clung to him for life, and he was still the one who held the strings.

And that was all he needed.

* * *

"THANK YOU, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, ONE AND ALL! PLEASE, ONE MORE TIME FOR THE PUPPET MASTER AND SAKURA, THE HARUNO DOLL!" cried the boy down in the center of the arena.

Ha. Fools.

As I sit here and watch the idiotic blond boy rant on and on, asking for more cheers and praise for the last act, I can't help but smirk.

These idiots here are buying into this, aren't they? The _magic_. The _beauty_. They're so captivated by that one doll and its master that they're practically ripping out their limbs for another performance.

Blind.

That's what they all are, blind. Blind to what's really going on here. There is no magic behind this puppet masters invisible strings. There is no _illusion_.

I'll admit, when that man, Kakashi, said to me that the people here were truly... _gifted_, in a sense, he was true to this word. I almost had a hard time myself trying to decipher how exactly this one trick was done. But in the end, my eyes always showed me the truth.

_Always_.

By watching this man though, I can't seem to rid myself the feeling that he has something more up his sleeve, something that he's not too keen on showing. But no matter. Eventually, he'll drop his guard, and when he does, he'll be ruined.

These idiots. They have no idea what a _real_ show is like. What _true_ magic is. But, they'll see. Soon, very soon, they'll see what its like to truly wield power. To truly be a magician.

And when they do, that's when I'll strike.

My smirk only increases as the loud blond boy continues on about the puppetry and bids the crowed goodnight, but I'm not listening anymore. The girl beside me, Karin, harshly whispers to me about how much better _our_ show will be, how much more attractive _we'll_ be.

Pathetic.

There is no _our _show, there is no _we_.

It's only me. Me, and my show. And one day, I'll be done with her and toss her aside, just like the rest.

I can see it in her eyes.

_Jealousy._

She so undeniably jealous of a silly little doll. She wants to be like her, I can see it. She wants to be the one to capture the crowd's attention with her beauty, to hypnotize them just with a smile or the movement of her body.

What a fool. She thinks I can make her like that. She thinks I can give her the fame and the love she so desires. She believes that I _need_ her. That I can't possibly do without her. But it's all just an illusion.

I need no one, nor does anyone need me. And when the time is right, I'll bring my powers to a feat unimaginable. And when I do...

I'll be able to do what I truly have in store.

_So, keep dancing,_

_My beloved._

_Please,_

_Because when you do stop--_

_So will my sainity._

**Act One:  
Scene /End/**

**Author's Note:**

Ok, all of you right now, shut the hell up.

(did that sound harsh? I think that was harsh...)

Yes, I know, I have other things started that you really really want me to finish. Deal. The reason why I've been so non-existant latly was because I've been working on THIS! MY MASTERPEICE!

At the moment, I have the whole story about half done, so theres no worries about if its going to finish on time or not. I like, _sware_, ok?

Yes, if some of you remember, I did have a version of this story posted up like, years ago, but I didn't like it so I spent a really really really really long time fixing it and, voila, here we are.

YES! I know, this chapter is really really confusing, but bare with me when I say the next one and the one after that will basicly fill you in on any implications. I promais you, folks, we're in for one hell of a ride.

**Just a word to the wise**, this story will contain : graphic, mature content. Swaring, violence, sexual content, extreemly mature situations, and all the lovely little goodies that you know you all secretly enjoy so much. Some of the things in this story WILL be hard to handle, but trust me when I say its all for the good of the story.

**Editor**: Roses Of Sharon, my ever-beloved friend who was the first to read this story and kick me in the ass when I wrote somthing akwardly wrong. I love you.

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_Next Time On The Greatest Show Unearthed...  
Act Two: Ubiquitous_

_There, standing beside the Puppet Master like it was the most natural thing, was the very puppet who captured the audience with her dancing only hours ago. It was impossible, concluded Sasuke, completly impossible. He had figured out the Puppet Master's act a long time ago, he had been able to see every single trick he preformed, but never had he thought that his puppets were actually... alive._

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Caio, bella

**-UnderTheSky**


	2. Ubiquitous

_Around and around and around and-_

_(hahaha, can you see)_

_Around and around and around and-_

_(the pretty ballerina, do you see?)_

"They adored me, simply adored me! I tell you, Shikamaru, I make this place come _alive!_"

It was late, almost midnight, and the carnival had been closed for one hour. After the final performance, there was nothing left to see. The rides seemed dull, the food had lost its flavor, and the many small attractions around the carnival were no longer entertaining in comparison to the marvel the spectators had just witnessed.

The staff and maintenance workers were busy closing down the carnival and locking everything down for the night, and nearly all the lights of the Unearthed had been dimmed and turned off. All of them, that is, except for one area of the carnival.

The carnival had wire fences all around so that no unwanted visitors could enter. There were four tall, thick, black poles holding up the fencing in each corner. No one paid any mind to them since the wires only added to the allure of the carnival, but what everyone didn't know was that a little further in was the spot where all the performers' caravans and equipment was kept.

And that was where all the light was coming from now. The tents were filled with women washing costumes and fixing props and men drunk and singing quite off key. In one of the far off tents used for costume change and makeup were two people, one shouting with all her might and the other trying as best he could to find some silence.

"I'm a star, aren't I, Shikamaru? A star! Ah, I love these Londoners. They're so much more interesting then those stupid townspeople that we keep performing for. And not to mention so much more attractive! But didn't you see me tonight? They loved me, simply loved me! I was dazzling," ranted the fair-haired girl as she sat at her vanity and removed her stage makeup.

The man sighed and rolled his eyes as if he had listened to this many, many times before, "Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, Ino. But you need to tone it down a bit, eh? I get that you like it flashy, but you know we're not that type of carnival, and your performance is just too... _bright._"

"Hm, far as you know," Ino hugged sulkily. "You hardly know anything about glamour, Shikamaru, and please don't tell me Kakashi asked you to tell me that. I swear, all these 'tips' are getting pretty annoying."

The spiky haired man rolled his eyes again and turned his head away from the blonde. Still slumped against the poll of the small tent with his arms crossed, he prayed for just a bit of quiet this night. Unfortunately, it seemed that Lady Luck was not to be on his side.

"Well, I don't really give a damn what Kakashi or any of the other managers think. It's _my_ show and _my _skill, they can't tell me to change it. Besides, the crowd didn't seem to mind how bright I was. They _loved _me tonight! They didn't even want me to go," giggled Ino.

"Ha, too much hairspray gone to your head, pig?" intruded a new voice.

A boy with spiky blond hair and electric blue eyes walked into the tent with a foul expression on his face. His cheeks had strange whisker-like markings and his ears were slightly pointed at the top, but well hidden behind his messy hair. His teeth were sharper then the normal humans' would have been and his nails looked almost claw-like.

The boy passed through the curtains acting as a door for the tent and plopped himself down on the floor beside Shikamaru with a dirty scowl across his face.

"...And what's that supposed to mean, _Naruto-kun_?" Ino seethed in a nasty tone.

"What it's supposed to mean,_ Piggy-chan_, is that they didn't not want you to leave, _I_ had to pull you off the fucking stage, you fat bitch," Naruto snapped back.

"What was that?" Ino gritted out, grabbing the hairbrush sitting on her dresser and chucking it at Naruto's head.

"Heh, sounds like someone's in a bad mood. What's your deal, Naruto?" Shikamaru asked sleepily.

"Some fucking nutter out there kept asking me to multiply and have some kind of sick, million people orgy. Fuck'n sick people out here in the city, all goddamned pedophiles and shit," Naruto sneered with venom in his voice.

In a matter of seconds, Ino was off her chair and rolling around on the floor laughing hysterically. Shikamaru let a small smirk grace his face as he tried his best not to laugh as well. Naruto, however, was not so amused. He bared his teeth and snarled at the two making fun of him with a light blush covering his face.

"Fuck off, you fat ass whore," he hissed.

Ino just laughed harder and attempted to gasp for air.

"Y-your one to... talk... Why... Why don't you... fuck off... With all the pedophiles... yourself... loser," Ino attempted to retort, but by now she was laughing so hard that tears were coming to her eyes.

"Bitch, I-" started Naruto, but he cut himself off abruptly and stood completely still, trying his best not to move what so ever. His pointed ears begun to twitch slightly and his eyes stared wide and straight ahead at nothing in particular, almost like he was in a trance.

Shikamaru had quickly noticed Naruto's state and immediately clamped a hand over Ino's mouth to silence her. He knew full well what exactly it was that Naruto was doing, and he also knew he needed complete silence.

"...Naruto... What is it?" slowly whispered Shikamaru, cutting into the newly found silence.

"Shhh!" Naruto shot back, before continuing with his statue-like trance.

Ino, who was now getting annoyed and impatient towards Naruto's lack of a quick answer, was silently glaring at the blond boy. Shikamaru, however, had a hard look plastered across his face and was praying that whatever it was that was going on wouldn't be too horrible.

Naruto's ears twitched for the last time and then went entirely still. Slowly, a large smile begun to form on his lips, and in a bolt, he was up on his feet and jumping up and down hysterically, laughing like a lunatic to himself.

Ino glared harder and threw a discarded shoe from her costume at Naruto's head.

"Naruto, you idiot, what the fuck is it," snarled the blond girl.

Naruto, still hopping up and down and laughing, ran around the room and then out the door. Before Ino had enough time to scream for him to come back, his head popped through the curtains with the same grin on plastered across his face.

"HE'S BACK!"

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**The Greatest Show Unearthed  
Act Two  
Ubiquitous**

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The cheering of the crowds had died down now that the last traces of people had left the large stadium. It was late, almost closing, and the gates of the Unearthed were slowly starting to close out all its visitors.

Through the back entrance of the Big Top, the figure of a cloaked man could be seen swiftly exiting into the shadows of the night with haste. The way the man moved made it look like he was floating above the ground as he walked down into the maze of caravans and little tents. Passing drunken workers and helpers of the carnival, he remained unnoticed and undisturbed, moving faster and faster towards his destination.

Only the music of the workers could be heard, along with some loud shouting and moving of equipment. Fire pits were lit cooking food and drying laundry along with small candles and lanterns providing light in the darkness of the night. The cloaked man paid no mind to any of his surroundings, still just moving forward.

Finally, reaching a more deserted part of the camp site, the hooded man stopped at an old red caravan with 'The Puppet Master' painted across in black. There was no horse attached to the reins of the old caravan and there were a few others with the same writing on them following the first.

Climbing up the three little steps that led to the entrance, the hooded man swiftly pushed open the red door and walked inside, the door closing quickly behind him. Once inside, the man twisted his forefinger in an odd fashion and, in a flash, candles begun to light themselves creating a dim lighting throughout the small room.

Shadowy faces of little children could be seen hanging by long, thin strings all over the place. Taking a closer look, one could tell that they were not little children at all, but dolls. Puppets made of porcelain or wood hung from every corner of the room, each one different from the other. Strange clothing, hair all in different styles and colors, even their skin was every shade imaginable. The only thing that made them alike was their smile. Each one had the same eerie smile painted across their smooth faces.

In the far corner of the cramped room was a wooden working table. Unfinished puppets sat motionlessly, along with small carving knives and wood shavings. The man wordlessly shoved the objects aside and snapped his fingers again, lighting a small, almost finished candle on the table.

Slowly opening his cape, he revealed in his arms a pink haired doll with the same eerie smile, just like the rest of them. This one was larger then the rest, life sized even, and was by far more beautiful then any of the others.

The man set the pink haired doll down gently onto the wood table and began to study its form intently. His eyes traced every curve, every small detail of the puppet, absorbing in its image as if it'd been the first time he'd seen the doll in his life. He lightly brushed his pale hand across its lace covered stomach, slowly going higher and high. His ghost-like touch went up and across the puppets bust, past its bare, silky neck, and lightly brushed a stray strand of pink away from its face.

Reaching the pink doll's chin, he began to trace the outline of the puppets soft mouth and jaw, then gently stroking its cheek affectionately.

The hooded man's hand lingered on the puppets lips longer then he should have, but then in realizing his mistake, he quickly removed it. Fixing his posture, the man placed his pale hand almost an inch above the smiling doll's still face, his painted nails hovering in front of her eyes. Concentrating a small amount of his energy, the man was able to create a faint, white glow all around his hand. Slowly, he lowered his head down to the doll's ear and breathed out gently before speaking.

"_Awake_."

Obeying the whispered command, formerly lifeless green eyes fluttered and shone like they had just been fast asleep. The paleness in the doll's cheeks were now replaced with a healthy blush, and her mouth opened in a yawn. The once doll-like figure seemed to change in an instant from lifeless and fake to alive and very, very much real.

Still lying down on the hard desk top, the pink haired _girl_ began to stretch out her legs and looked around the room in interest, her eyes stopping once she reached the hooded man. Giving a lopsided, tired smile, the pink haired girl reached out and spoke in a soft, sweet voice.

"So, how did you do tonight, Master Sasori? Did the crowd cheer loudly for you?" she gently chirped.

The pink haired girl reached up and removed the hood of the man with her creamy white hand. The black cloth fell from the man's face only to reveal a mess of fire-red hair and pale, almost ghost-like white skin. Light brown, reddish eyes were framed with thick black lashes and his lips were drawn together tightly, the ends slowly curving up into a smile. Any woman would find his looks quite appealing, handsome even, if it had not been for his cold, stone like demeanor that drew most away. Save for his little puppet, of course.

"_We_, Sakura. We did well. You danced brilliantly tonight. The crowds cheered very loudly for the _both of us._" softly spoke out Sasori in a deep, masculine tone.

Sakura shifted her gaze away from him and focused her attention in the opposite direction.

"No, Master. You're wrong. I-I...I can't dance without you, you know that. I could never dance so well... Not like the way you can make me..." Sakura barely whispered.

Sasori said nothing in return; he just kept his gaze focused on her small, delicate structure.

"...I wonder what its like, to hear them cheer. To feel them appreciate you... Love you... Is it a good feeling, Master? When the crowds cheer, I mean... Do you feel loved?"

Wordlessly, Sasori gently took hold of her chin and directed her line of vision towards his. Her vibrant emerald green eyes flashed brightly with the hidden threat of the liquid soon to fall from them. His surprisingly gentle caress on her cheek soothed her and before Sakura new it, Sasori had hunched himself down to her level, their proximity strikingly close.

"But that's where you're wrong, puppet... I don't need their love... Just...yours..."

And their lips collided.

From someone such as Sasori, one wouldn't guess that such a cold and stoic man could ever show so much passion in a kiss. His lips danced with hers like they were on fire and she was the only thing that could put it out. Sasori's arms had wound themselves around Sakura's small waist and her hands begun to clutch and weave their way through his hair.

The puppet master's hands began to travel up and down her body, harshly caressing every curve with lust and need begging to be quenched. They found their way to the bottom of her long, lacy white dress and slowly pushed the hem up to reveal creamy white legs as smooth as silk. Before he could go any further, Sakura broke the kiss gently. Panting out in a nearly inaudible whisper, she spoke with feeling.

"_Please..._"

And they parted.

For that was all she ever had to say. Never "No". Oh, a puppet, no matter how much they were transferred into a human, could never, ever so much as utter that word. Nor did they freely want to. To deny your master was the most punishable sin a doll could ever commit. They were bound by the strings that were attached to their limbs. That was their way. And Sakura never broke that law. She never, ever, refused Sasori. Only, when it came to matters such as these.

With a frustrated sigh, Sasori almost stomped over to the small window beside the door, leaving Sakura still lying on the table behind him. He could, if he wanted, continue. He could _make_ her obey him; _make_ her do as he pleased, to satisfy him as he pleased. But he would never. Because, in doing so, it would be admitting what she actually was. By making her do something she didn't want to do, Sasori would be realizing the truth, the truth that both he and his little doll had been working so hard to change for so long.

"I-I'm sorry..." her melodic voice whispered, cutting into the silence, "I just... Not yet... Not until I'm real... Real, like you. Then... then I want you to really have me... All of me..."

Letting out another quiet sigh, the red haired man turned away from the window and back to the girl on the table. She looked so innocent there; her dress pulled up almost to her waist, hair tousled and lips red from kissing, not to mention the heavy red blush that crossed her cheeks. She looked almost... _edible_, to Sasori. But, he knew he had to control himself. Control himself, until-

"Soon, puppet. Very soon, you'll become human, I promise you." his hand was now back to gently caressing her cheek, her hand atop of his.

"...And when you are, we'll leave this place, you and I. You'll become a dancer, and the crowds will cheer for _you._ We'll be together... Forever..."

Sakura opened her mouth to answer, but before she could get a word out, loud knocking was herd at the door.

"Master Sasori, Sir! Sasori! There's been an urgent meeting being called in the Big Top, all major and minor performers are required to attend! Sir, please hurry!" yelled a man as the knocking continued.

Sasori looked away from the door and lazily turned his head to face Sakura, who was now sitting up on the table with a curious look on her face.

"What do you think it could be?" she questioned softly.

Walking over to the door and putting his hood back up, Sasori opened it to see that the messenger was gone and now running to tell others, leaving them alone once again.

"...Whatever it is, we best hurry before Kakashi has a fit. Come, Sakura."

Hopping off the table and returning to her master's side, the two walked out of the caravan and back into the night, shutting the door with a slam.

* * *

The big tent was in a buzz.

In a matter of minutes, almost every single employee of the carnival was gathered together and busily talking amongst themselves. Minor performers and maintenance staff were complaining rather loudly at the oddity of being called for a meeting last minute and so late at night. Women gossiped, throwing out guesses as to what was really going. No one seemed to realize that all of the major performers were nowhere to be seen.

_"What do you think it could be? Are we gonna be moving again?"_

_"I hear the Ring Master's gonna make an appearance tonight!"_

_"That's silly, why would we be moving when we just got here? Not to mention we're under contract for a few months."_

_"Ha, Ring Master appearing? That's absurd. My guess is that someone's gonna get fired... I just hope it's the damn Yamanaka. Did you know last night she-"_

_"Ha, like she'd leave so easily. It's probably about-"_

_"Maybe it has something to do with the huge show we'll be doing in a few months. I mean, its the largest city we'll ever be performing for, people all around the world will be coming to see us, we might as well start getting prepared now-"_

_"Oi, idiot. Shut up, Kakashi's gonna say something!"_

_"Huh, wha-"_

People were starting to notice the figures of three people over by the side of the circus ring and slowly started to quiet down. The first, a woman with dark black hair tied into a respectable bun atop her head and with the oddest red eyes. She wore a plain red dress with a corset and plain black boots. Around her waist was a black belt with an assortment of pockets and hundreds of keys hanging from assorted chains. Her arms were folded across her chest and her piercing glare sent out shivers through most in the arena.

The second person was a rather tall man with a head of spiky black hair and a red bandana going across his forehead. He sported a roguishly short beard going just along his chin, giving him a defining look, and held a cigarette in the corner of his mouth. Leaning against the back boards of the Big Top's performance ring, he wore dirty worker's clothes and gave off an air of leisure.

Lastly, there was a man sitting on a fold-up chair between the other two. Known throughout the carnival as Kakashi, he lived up to his name with his spiky sliver hair and mysterious mask covering most of his face. With his feet lazily resting up on the table in front of him, he looked as if he was about to go to sleep if it had not been for the chilling glares he kept receiving from the red-eyed woman.

Giving a defeated sigh, Kakashi sluggishly raised his hand up to gain the others attention.

"Um... Attention... Everyone, please... Uh... Over here..." came out his barely noticeable voice.

"...Staff, please... Hmm... Everyone, attent-"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP, ASSHOLES."

Everyone immediately silenced, but for the few women who muttered about how improper it was for a woman to curse like Ms. Ino Yamanaka did. Sure enough, the blond woman strutted into the Big Top wearing what she claimed to be the latest fashions from France, which consisted of a long, frilly blue dress and a push up corset that left little to the imagination.

Following her was her loyal companion, Shikamaru, who was mumbling incoherently under his breath, and the energetic blond boy who was ecstatically jumping up and down and kept repeating something along the lines of "He's here, he's back! He's here, he's back!" over and over again.

"Err- Yes, thank you, Miss. Yamanaka." sighed Kakashi, "Well, hello everyone! Glad we could all get here on such short notice."

Quiet, angry whispers went around the crowd, but Kakashi just brushed it off with his usual easygoing smile.

"Well then, let's not beat around the bush here, hmm? Yesterday, a little bit after we finished setting up, I took in an audition from a boy who was applying for a job as a major performer."

Now, almost the entire room was in an uproar. No one, not _ever_, had ever been admitted into the Unearthed as a major attraction. Not since the first formation ten years prior. The classified jobs at the carnival were split up into three: staff, minor performers, and major performers. It was every minor's dream to become one of the star attractions, but no matter how talented someone was, they were still never let in.

"Please... Everyone... Please settle down... Uhh... Ino, could you...?"

"QUIET!"

Again, only silence could be herd.

"Thank you... Now, as I was saying, this isn't for certain. I've agreed to give him one chance to prove himself in tomorrow nights show, and if the crowd likes him then he'll stay. With that being said, I need staff to be ready to start construction on caravans, signs, maintenance and whatnot for the possibility that he joins. I want all minor performers to encourage the crowd tomorrow to go see the show and get them excited a bit, eh?

"So... I guess that's all... You can go now, but we need the major performers here for a... bit of a private meeting. Thanks, everyone" finished Kakashi.

A series of groans and hisses were herd as the majority of people in the Big Top sluggishly exited the room. It was a well known fact that anyone who was not a star attraction at the Unearthed was to be treated with less respect. Everyone always addressed the Major performers as 'Sir' or 'Master' to show respect, not to mention that these people were almost world renowned celebrities. Everyone envied the stars of the Unearthed, wishing that they too could be as glamorous and loved as them. The sad thing was that they truly didn't know how wrong they were.

Once the entire room was emptied out, the only people who could be seen were Kakashi, the man and woman at his sides, and Ino, Shikamaru and Naruto, who was still jumping up and down like an idiot. The air was thin and silence rung in their ears. The room looked almost near empty, but if is one looked carefully into the dark shadows that were left unattended, you could see the faint outline of bodies...

"...So, is he one of us then?" spoke up a new, deep voice from the darkness.

"Of course he's not. That's absolutely impossible. In fact, this whole meeting's a waste of my time if you ask me," shot back a rougher female voice.

"I agree. We haven't met one of our own kind in over a decade. Why would someone with our kind of talent show up out of nowhere now? Its absurd," agreed the next.

"Kill... kill... kill him... KILL HIM! HAHAHA! NOW, NOW, NOW!! THAT FACE, I'LL KILL IT! THA-"

"Shhh... Please, brother... But they're right, Kakashi. This is a complete joke, it has to be. He's probably just some kid with one too many tricks up his sleeve. We're going to be completely wasting our time tomorrow with his show when we could have a _real_ performer in his place," voiced another from the shadows.

"Kill... kill... kill..."

"N-No, wait you guys, please!" argued back Naruto, "I know this guy, we go way back. He's genuine; his tricks are the kind of shit that I've never seen in my life! I mean, when I first sensed his presence here I couldn't believe how-"

"Oh? And how many times have those fox senses of yours actually been right, fuck head? For all we know he could be some-"

"Ino, everyone, please," interrupted Kakashi, "Naruto's right on this. Trust me when I say this kid's got something, something that not even a magician of my caliber can fully comprehend."

Soft mumbling went through the group of people hiding behind the darkness.

"...Well, we all know Kakashi can _see_ through any trick possible... So if he couldn't even see through this guy, then he must be legit, right?" came out a female's voice.

"That's hardly the point. We can't just let an outsider in that we don't know anything about. Telling him all our secrets, him finding out all our little tricks. Its ridiculous." retorted another.

"Kill... kill... KILL!"

"...But what's more interesting is whether he's aware of the consequences of joining... Have you told him anything yet, Kakashi?" questioned a male.

"... He is aware. He fully accepts them and is more then eager to enter," answered Kakashi.

"Ha, that's how we know he's a fool. What pretentious sonofabitch would ever join something like this? By god, this guy must be some complete and utter idiot."

"Hn. I'm glad everyone's taking this so well, Kakashi," an unfamiliar voice said.

All heads snapped to the entrance to see a man and woman standing and looking out to the others. The woman wore a grey traveling dress and a tight grey mini coat over it. Her hair was pined back in a lavish bun and atop her head was a more extravagant hat with flowers over the top and black lace coming down to cover her eyes.

She was rather pretty with bright red hair and eyes, but she looked sort of plain when compared to the man standing beside her.

He was by definition, tall dark and handsome. Ebony hair kept spiky atop his head matched his onyx black eyes which gave an alluring contrast with his pale skin. He wore a regular black suit with a white shirt underneath, but his clothing failed to hide the outline of a lean and chiseled body. His beautify carved face was adorned with an emotionless expression and his eyes looked dull and bored.

"BASTARD!"

Naruto was now running at an irregular rate towards the two people at the door. Jumping up into the air, Naruto aimed to pounce onto the dark haired man, but fate, it seemed, was not too kind, and before he could land, the man moved aside and let him fall flat on his head.

"Dobe," greeted back the man in a monotone voice.

"Ahh, just in time!" smiled Kakashi, "Everyone, this is Sasuke Uchiha and his assistant, Karin. They'll be performing tomorrow night instead of the Puppet Master, if that's fine with you, sir."

A hooded man at the back of the room gave a curt nod.

"I've been meaning to ask for a night off this week to do some extra work anyways," came his reply.

The stranger named Sasuke shifted his gaze over to the one they called 'The Puppet Master' with curiosity. He analyzed his position which was leaning back against the far wall of the circus arena with his hands placed firmly across his chest. About to return his gaze to Kakashi, Sasuke noticed something in the corner of his eye, and for a fraction of a second they went wide.

There, standing beside the Puppet Master like it was the most natural thing, was the very puppet that had captured the audience with her dancing only hours ago. It was impossible, concluded Sasuke, completely impossible. He had figured out the Puppet Master's act a long time ago, he had been able to _see _every single trick he preformed, but never had he thought that his puppets were really... _alive_.

Sasuke knew he had to get a better look. He had to figure out what exactly it was that was going on here. If he miscalculated one tiny detail, looked over one small thing, his plans would be completely ruined. He needed to get to that doll. But not now. No, instead, he turned his head back to face Kakashi like everything was perfectly normal, his face still completely expressionless.

"Ah, thank you. I hope our audience won't be too disappointed with your absence. But for now, does anyone have any other questions?" asked Kakashi.

"Yeah, I got one! Like, why the hell are you letting him in here in the first place?" yelled out a man with a rough voice, followed by a dog's bark.

"_Kill..._Kill...**Kill...**_ Blood..._ Blood... **Bl**-"

Kakashi rolled his eyes, "We could use a fresh act in our show, something to get the crowd curious about. As managers, Kurenai, Asuma and I feel this guy's up for the challenge, and you have to remember that it's not our decision if he's in or not, but the Ring Master's. I don't think anyone here is going to speak against him?"

Once again, there was silence.

The members hidden in the shadows looked to one another to attempt to find something to say, but no words could come out. Nothing.

A man cleared its throat.

Heads snapped in the direction of the newcomers, or, more specifically, Sasuke Uchiha.

"...Listen, I'm not here for some petty drama with people who don't like sharing the spotlight. It's a job, nothing else. I'm not about to go off making little friends with any of you here. So, I don't really think its any of your concern if I join or not." spoke Sasuke in a clear, emotionless tone.

A voice burst out laughing, "Holy fuck, Kakashi, you've told him _shit_! Haven't you explained anything at all? Anything about what we are, what we _really_ are?"

"...He's right, Kakashi. Just listen to him. He can't handle this." agreed a feminine voice.

"Alright, alright, I get it, and I'm sure that the Ring Master'll take your opinions into consideration. But for now, we wait until tomorrow to settle things. Now, it's late and we all need some rest." yawned Kakashi.

"..."

Slowly, the outlines of the bodies hiding in the shadows began to fade away until completely gone. Not a sound was heard, not even a whisper. Any normal person would have found such a scene rather... disturbing. But then again, these people weren't really that normal.

Sluggishly getting up out of his chair, Kakashi walked over to Sasuke, passing by Ino was batting her eyes furiously and trying to pose, and Naruto who was still lying head first on the ground.

Almost walking completely passed him, Kakashi placed his hand on Sasuke's shoulder and didn't make eye contact.

"...Be careful, Sasuke. I don't know what exactly it is that you're planning, but it had best stop before it gets too far. You have no need to be here, to be in this carnival. You still have the choice of leaving this place. But once the Ring Master takes a liking to you, there is no out."

"Heh, so your that sure that he's gonna like my act then?" smirked back Sasuke.

Removing his hand from Sasuke's shoulder, Kakashi moved away and out the entrance. Not a single word had escaped form his lips, but Sasuke was sure of what he was trying to say.

He was in.

* * *

"Ha, a bunch of freaks if you ask me. I mean, by god, this place is utterly rediculous! Don't worry though, Sasuke, my love, they're probably just jealous. Jealous of someone taking away their spotlight.Whatever, we don't need them, we-"

He wasn't listening. She knew he wasn't. He knew she knew he wasn't. But he didn't care. And at some point, neither did she.

The cheap motel room was located in one of the... _dirtier_ districts of London, to say the least. The room was barely bigger then a walk in closet and there was hardly any furniture but for an old, rundown bed, a night stand, and a tiny desk.

Sasuke sat hunched over the small desk, with papers scattered all over, old ink pots with barely any ink left inside, and feather quills looking ready to fall apart. Scribbling nonsense all over the paper, strange symbols and characters along with little notes on the side, Sasuke did not look away.

He had to figure it out. He had to.

How had he done it? How had that man been able to pull something off like that? It was impossible. It had to be. But what had bothered Sasuke more was the fact that he himself hadn't figured it out yet.

Things we not going according to his plan. Not at all. He had made sure that he was fully prepared and knew everything there was to know about the Unearthed before he entered. He had spent weeks, months, perfecting his art. Planning out everything carefully so he could execute his plan without flaw. But now, he was thrown totally off and there was no turning back. He had to figure out their act. And fast, before time ran out.

"...d that woman, what was her name? Imu? Inko? I didn't like her. She was a bit too friendly towards you, if you ask me, my darling. I mean, how improper of a woman to be so completely forward and-"

"Karin, that's enough. We have a long day tomorrow and we best get as much rest as possible." grunted Sasuke as he got up from his desk and begun to strip.

"O-Oh... O-of course, Sasuke, darling. You're perfectly right," agreed Karin, shifting her gaze towards Sasuke, who was now bare-chested and pulling up his pajamas.

Smirking, Karin slowly walked behind Sasuke and gently wrapped her arms around his waist. Kissing his shoulder and then going up his neck, she skillfully pressed her body close to his and whispered into his ear.

"You know... We don't have to go to sleep yet... But we could just go to _bed _instead."

Still trailing hot kisses down his neck, Karin managed to snake one hand down his abdomen and then lower into his loosely tied pants. Gently stroking him, she herd Sasuke growl lowly and push his body back against hers.

Feeling successful, Karin made an attempt to turn her body to she could be facing Sasuke, but as she did so he managed to grudgingly pull her off and look away.

"Not tonight. We need to be rested and prepared for tomorrow. I won't have any screw ups, Karin. Now get to sleep." his stress-filled voice muttered under his breath.

Pouting, the red haired woman moved away and into the cramped bed, leaving space for her partner. Closing his eyes and inhaling deeply, Sasuke joined her in the bed and the proximity of their bodies did not help the stress that was both plaguing his mind and _now_ his body.

Allowing sleep to claim him, there was only one thought that ran through the young Uchiha's mind.

Tomorrow, his plan begun.

_Around and around and around and-_

_(Now she's crying--_

_can you tell?)_

_Around and around and around and-_

_(Of course you can! Because the tears are red)_

_Around and around and around and-_

_(But it doesn't matter, silly, _

_..they're just tears of the dead)_

_Around and around and--_

**Act One:  
Scene /End/**

**Author's Note:**

Not like, the most exciting chapter in the entire world, but you know what? Deal. This chapter was more of a filler for all the exciting little yummies that are comming in the next chapter, which will be up by _next_ tuesday. Unless I get a shitload of reviews, and I do mean a _shit load_. So yeah, this was supposed to be up by tomorrow, but I got board of keeping it to myself, so here we are, Not to mention that MA HOMIE, i.dance.in.the.rain, wanted me to update, so again, here we are.

Honest to god, the next chapter is like, amazing. My beta said so. So HA! Be patient, friends.

Did you like? Are more things cleared up for you? Yes? No. Thats too bad.

**Just A Word To The Wise**, this story will contain : graphic, mature content. Swaring, violence, sexual content, extreemly mature situations, and all the lovely little goodies that you know you all secretly enjoy so much. Some of the things in this story WILL be hard to handle, but trust me when I say its all for the good of the story.

**Editor**: Roses Of Sharon, my ever-beloved friend who was the first to read this story and kick me in the ass when I wrote somthing akwardly wrong. I love you.

-

_Next Time On The Greatest Show Unearthed...  
Act Three: Ensorcelled_

_Sweat rolled down his forhead and a quiet sigh of relife escaped the boys lips. He was temped to smile, but didn't. Just as smirk would be sufficient for now. He couldn't think, he could barly breath. The insain screaming of the crowd was drowned away from his ears, the hug and feeling of his red haired compainions lips being pressed feveriently against his own was almost non existant. Only one thing was going through his mind at that moment one moment in time._

_He did it._

_-_

kthnxbi,

**-Skyler**


	3. Ensorcelled

_No one can here me,_

_No one can see_

_As the chains around me tighten_

_And the blood spills free_

The knife in her hand was cold.

And that's how she liked it. Cool, crisp, and undisturbed.

The feel of the icy, sharp blade against her skin, the pleasure of its hilt gripped tightly in her hand, and the sheer thrill as its tip makes contact with flesh.

Yes, that's what she lived for. That's what she got up for every morning and went to sleep for every night. Just to feel that beautiful, smooth, amazing little weapon inside her hands. It was her first love. But not her only love, no.

She loved something else. _Someone_ else, but that was a secret. That was the only difference between her two loves. For that one man she loved, she must keep silent. No one can know. But, for this one, special little device, she doesn't need to hide.

And now, as she thrusts the dagger forward into the nothingness before her, she can hear as it cuts through the air, feel as it picks up speed, practically sense it shiver right before it makes contact with-

"FUCK!"

Opening her eyes and snapping her head around towards the yelp, TenTen's eyes widened and then her face squished up in regret, dreading having turned around.

"Goddammit, TenTen, what the hell was that?" snapped a rouged boy who currently had a dagger planted in his upper left arm. Blood oozed out of the woond and the tip of the black blade could be seen peeking out from the other side of his arm.

TenTen turned her head to where she was previously facing to see that the large dart board she was blindly aiming for had a black dagger pinned in the center. Looking back to the boy who had now pulled the dagger from his arm and thrust it aside, the brunette offered him a quizzical look followed by a moan.

"Dammit... Sorry, Kiba. I guess I wasn't paying attention and that one just... moved without me telling it to," Tenten apologized with a sheepish smile.

Bringing his arm down to ground level, Kiba still had a sour look on his face, "Yeah, Yeah, whatever... Just pay attention next time. Concentrate more and maybe you won't have so many little _accidents_ all the time, Tennie."

A soft tapping sound was heard trotting across the cool ground. Running up to Kiba was a small puppy about the size of a shoe. Sniffing his arm, the puppy hesitantly brought out his tongue and begun to lap at the man's bleeding arm, drinking up the blood slowly at first, but at an increasingly faster pace. Finishing his meal, the dog sat back beside his master and barked appreciably.

Kiba moved his arm away from the dog and patted his head in praise. Not a single sign that he had been stabbed showed along his prefect, muscled arm.

Tenten sighed and crouched down on her knees to examine the dagger that she had so carelessly let slip from her mind. Her traditional pink, Chinese dress fluttered around her body, revealing that, despite her tomboy appearance she was, indeed, a female. The baggy cream pants she wore underneath shielded from the world the long, bare legs that would have caused much of an uproar, due to the fact that it was improper for woman to show so much skin. The only woman at the Unearthed who was so bold as to do such a thing was Ino and that was enough, to say the least.

Her hands, covered in fingerless gloves, traced the bloody dagger with wonder. Blood. It was the perfect thing to accompany one of her beautiful little weapons. The way it shimmered on the blade, how the little blood drops would hang suspended form the tip of the dagger waiting to be released and then finally falling to the ground and making a soft dripping noise, it entranced her.

Her eyes were wide and one daring finger slowly made its way down to the shiny metal and begun to play in the bloody mess. A light smile graced her lips.

So beautiful.

So, so beautiful...

So beautiful that it made her want to just take the dagger and-

"Yo, TenTen, what the hell are you doing over there?"

Breaking out of her trance, TenTen looked across the large tent used as a practice room to see a girl with dirty blond hair up in four pony tails waving at her.

Dropping the dagger from her hands and standing up again, TenTen waved back and made her way over to where her friend stood.

Temari really was a beauty, she thought. Even though she was always in her loose training dress, spare for the times when she was performing, Temari always looked beautiful. With her complexion and dark blue eyes, she made many a spectator swoon and wait anxiously for her performance.

Smiling brightly, TenTen walked up to Temari, who leaned against one of the boards in the training room, arms crossed and one eyebrow raised.

"Hey, where were you last night? I told you to meet me in my work room right after the meeting finished, but you didn't show. What's up?" questioned Temari, with a suspicious look across her face.

TenTen expression turned from cheerful to nervous as she wrung her gloved hands behind her back and swayed back and forth a bit, "Oh, really? Sorry about that... I guess all the excitement and stuff made me pretty tired and I wanted to catch some sleep so I'd be full of energy for tonight..."

Temari looked skeptical, "...What does it matter if you're full of energy tonight or not? You're not performing."

"O-oh, well... Not for a p-performance... But I wanted to be full of energy to watch this new kids act... Y-you know, fresh meat and all..." Tenten answered quickly with an uncharacteristic stutter.

"Hmmm..." Temari knitted her eyebrows together in disbelief and moved her gaze from TenTen's face down towards the hands hidden behind her back. Noticing that she was wearing her gloves, which she usually saved for performances only, Temari's schooled face went from suspicious to angry and hostile.

"Give me your hand."

TenTen moved back defensively, "W-What? I-I don't know wha-"

"Dammit, TenTen, just give it to me!" Temari barked.

Widening her eyes, TenTen obeyed Temari's order and slowly brought out her gloved right hand, shaking far too quickly for comfort.

Snatching her arm roughly, Temari pulled off the glove and let out a soft gasp. Cuts and scabs covered her wrists and lower arm in straight and crossing lines. Small drops of blood seeped out from the roughness of Temari's grip and the marks looked deep and jagged. Old, faded scars lay beneath the slightly bleeding ones, but Temari could see that those were much older. These were fresh.

Gritting her teeth, Temari looked up at TenTen with anger filled eyes. TenTen could do nothing but shift her eyes back and forth, trying not to meet Temari's.

"...You promised me, TenTen... You promised me you'd stop," Temari whispered harshly.

"...I-I don't know what you're talking about... I-it... It was an acc-accident... I-"

"Shut up! I don't wanna hear it!" screamed out Temari. A few heads in the room turned their gaze to see what was going on, but with one glare from the blond woman, they turned away.

TenTen said nothing, keeping her eyes in another direction.

"...Christ, what the fuck were you thinking, huh?" Temari gritted out, lowering her voice, "Please, TenTen, it's not worth it! Listen to me! _He's _not worth it! You don't have to keep doing this! He's not-"

"And what the fuck would you know, Temari?" snapped TenTen with an icy glare, "You could never know how I feel! You can't understand! I'm not worth it! I'm not worth _him_ and he doesn't want me! I'm nothing, I'm-"

"For fuck's sake, TenTen, do you hear yourself?" Temari screamed.

Temari was getting nervous. The way TenTen was acting was so unlike her usual self, it frightened her. But Temari knew she shouldn't be so shocked. Every time TenTen had been confronted about her little... _hobby,_ or anything to do with her secret obsession with a boy she knew was unattainable, she'd become like a totally different person... A person that only Temari herself had seen... And a person that her younger brother had seen _quite_ frequently as well.

TenTen glared harder and snatched her arm back from Temari.

"...You've been talking with my brother again, haven't you? Fuck, TenTen, he's sick. You know that! He's a sick fuck and if you take one thing he says seriously-"

"But its true, Temari! Everything he says is true!" cried out TenTen.

"No! No, it isn't! He's a liar and he's making you believe sick things and that's why you keep doing this to yourself! He's telling you that your not worthy of Ne-"

"Shut up! I'm nothing, I know it! And there's not a single fucking thing you can say to change it!" TenTen wailed.

"...TenTen, that's enough. I can't stand by and watch you do this to yourself anymore. _I've _had enough of your shit. I'm going to Kakashi or Kurenai... I'm going this time, and they'll help you, Tennie! They can help and-"

TenTen's hand flew to Temari's wrist and griped it so tightly it burned. Her head hung low and her body was shaking. Pulling the blond woman down so her mouth could reach her ear, TenTen breathed slowly.

"...Remember what I said before, Temari," she said in an almost inaudible whisper, "If you tell anyone, _anyone_, about this... I'll kill myself. Before anyone has a chance to stop me, I'll do it in a second. You know no one can stop one of my weapons from hitting their target... No one_._ So, you best keep your mouth _shut_."

Temari's eyes were wide and for once, she was completely silent. TenTen didn't move for a long time, and neither did her blond haired companion. After a few minutes, TenTen moved away and released her Temari's wrist roughly from her grasp. Picking up her glove, she once again covered her dripping arm, shielding it from prying eyes.

Turing her back towards Temari, TenTen took three steps forward away from her dumbstruck friend. Pausing for a moment, the bun haired girl pivoted her body slightly to face Temari with dark, icy eyes.

"Remember what I said, Temari... And don't you think I won't do it...

...Don't you _dare_."

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**The Greatest Show Unearthed  
Act Three  
Ensorcelled**

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"Well... The boy certainly does take his time setting up, doesn't he?"

Four spectators sat at the very back of the Big Top's seating area, circling the entire performance ring. The back row was about eight or nine stories above the ground, giving only a hazy view of what was going on below. There were thousands of vacant seats that could have provided a better outlook, but the four wanted to remain unnoticed.

Their eyes scanned the scene before them with utmost interest and curiosity as a black haired man, accompanied by a redhead and a small group of workers, slowly prepared for the night's performance. It had been close to three hours and all the black haired man seemed to do was walk around and around the performance ring muttering to himself, measuring it several times, and constantly scribbling things down in his leather bound book, occasionally checking the time with his gold pocket watch.

There was only one conclusion about this boy that the four had all decided upon.

He was very... _odd_.

The female of the group sighed in frustration.

"This is ridiculous. We've been sitting up here for hours watching him and he's hardly done anything! No props, no construction, no rehearsing, nothing!"

"...Heh, for once, the stupid bitch is right. I'm bored as hell and this is a complete waste of time. Not to mention that my ass is getting numb," one of the males grunted back as he kicked the back of the chair before him.

"Aw, too bad, Kiba-_kun_, now you won't be able to feel your tongue as you lick your dirty hole," Ino sneered with a triumphant smirk.

"Stupid whore... we all know how many holes _you've_ licked," mumbled Kiba under his breath. "Oi, why are we still here anyways? I thought I was gonna get to catch this guy in action before the real performance tonight, but we've seen squat. I say we leave before I'll never be able to feel my ass again."

"Oh, that would be a crisis, wouldn't it, Kiba?" Ino drawled.

The dog-like boy grunted and made a move to get up from his chair but was stopped by an energetic hand.

"No, wait you guys! We can't just leave yet, we need to stay and watch him. We have orders! Right, Shikamaru?"

Three pairs of eyes moved their attention over to the last member of their group only to be greeted with an all too familiar layout. His head was thrown back on the chair, mouth wide open allowing a small amount of drool to slide down his jaw. Arms suspended at his side and legs hoisted up and crossed on the chair in front of him, the man clearly was showing signs of complete unconsciousness.

Growling under her breath, Ino was on her feet and within seconds and roughly slapping the poor sleeping man freely until he woke up from his slumber.

"You lazy asshole! What the fuck do you think your doing, slacking off? You make us all come up here with you and watch this idiocy for _hours_ and the whole time you were _sleeping_?" Ino shrieked as her hands fisted his shirt and shook him violently.

"Mhnnn... W-wha..?" Shikamaru mumbled, before being harshly thrown back into his chair.

"Go ahead, Shikamaru, tell them we need to stay longer!" demanded Naruto.

"...Hmmm? Stay where longer?" murmured the spiky-haired boy as he tried to get comfortable once again in his seat.

All three of them sighed.

"...Oh, yeah... Right, right, Kakashi said... watch the new kid... no funny business... Mhnnn... Troublesome..." he managed to mumble out before falling into a fit of snores again.

"See, I told ya," Naruto said triumphantly, with a toothy grin to Kiba.

Grunting in a very unladylike fashion, Ino turned her vision away from the lethargic boy and down to the black haired young man below, "...Hmm, not that I mind staying up here _that_ much, I mean, that boy's got to be the sexiest thing I've ever seen..."

Raising one eyebrow at Ino, Shikamaru grumbled something under his breath and tried going back to sleep with a sour expression plastered across his face, earning himself a cocky smirk from Ino herself.

"This is a joke... I mean, not even rehearsing at all? Who does this guy think he is?" gritted Kiba.

"I told you, you'll have to wait 'til later to really see his act! Sasuke doesn't like bothering with rehearsals, and he doesn't need to anyways! If he's gonna do the trick I think he's gonna do, then I can promise you that you won't be disappointed." Naruto said, trying to defend his friend.

"Heh, I highly doubt it..." Kiba grumbled.

"Oi, Naruto, how exactly is it that you know this guy anyways? I mean, it's not like you'd met him _before_, right?" Ino questioned as she took her seat between Shikamaru and Kiba once again.

"You stupid idiot, no shit I met him _before_, when the fuck do you think I could have met him _after _that?" snapped the blond boy.

"Oh, so you can tell us about this guy then? Where he came from, what his tricks are, you know?" Kiba eagerly asked.

Thinking for a moment, Naruto held the gaze of his three companions with a serious expression before speaking, "...I met him when we were kids, at his family's carnival... The Uchiha Grand Pree, you remember that old place, right?"

"Of course we remember! Who doesn't? The Uchiha Grand Pree was, like, the first world renowned carnival in history! Probably even more popular then we are." said Ino with excitement in her voice.

"Yeah, so like I was saying, we met and became friends, back then he was training under his brother to become his family's next big act, right? We were pretty close back then, but then we stopped seeing each other after..." Naruto trailed off, shifting his eyes away from the others.

Ino and Kiba furrowed their eyes and silently urged Naruto to continue, whereas Shikamaru's face hardened.

"...So, he's the kid from the papers then, eh?" the pineapple-haired boy asked, breaking the silence.

Ino turned her body to face his with a confused look, "Huh? Kid from what papers?"

Naruto's eyes darkened and Kiba looked like realization had just dawned on him.

"C'mon, Ino, you can't mean to tell me you don't remember _that_ kid? The one who made all the papers, but then disappeared for a few years later?" quietly questioned Naruto.

"What? You mean, _that_ kid? That's impossible!" Kiba practically shouted.

"Well, all the pieces fit, don't they? He is an Uchiha, after all." retorted Shikamaru.

"Wha? Huh, what's going on here? Someone explain to me! Who's this _kid_ from the papers, huh? Huh!" snapped Ino.

There was a quiet pause between the four, the three boys all not wanting to say aloud the thoughts that had been silently plaguing their minds. Finally, Shikamaru shifted his gaze towards Ino with a hard look across his face.

"The kid from a couple of years ago... the only kid... the only _person_... who survived the Uchiha Grand Massacre."

* * *

He traced his hand up and down her long, smooth arm. His fingertips tingled from the feeling of her soft flesh coming in contact with his own.

It was late morning, but no light came through the closed windows of the secluded room of his privet quarters, partly because of the lack of said windows, and partly because of the fact that the weather in London was almost always cloudy and raining.

The room was still and aside from his sleeping puppets that hung suspended from their strings, no eyes were on the sleeping girl in his arms but him.

It had always confused him why she insisted on doing such ridiculous human activities such as sleeping. She had begged him over and over to give her every human-like quality he possibly could, from eating all the way down to becoming exhausted from the simplest things.

But, it's not like he minded her sleeping. No, not at all.

Especially since she slept in his arms each night.

He loved times like these. Mornings where she hadn't woken yet and he could simply hold her close to him and trace every inch of her body without her noticing it, worshiping her beauty and lusting after her silently, not allowing anyone to know.

Of course, every member of the Unearthed, especially their closer _friends_, knew of their relationship. Perhaps most who didn't belong to the carnival would frown upon such a thing, a master hopelessly in love with his puppet, but not here. This place was different from the rest of the world, since it itself was a world all on its own. Reality shifted and was molded into new and more accepted things, rules were discarded and there was no sense of law. He could do as he wished, _love_ as he wished, and no one would say a word.

But, even in a world where everyone was accepted and could give in to their darkest desires, there was always secrets.

And his was his absolute obsession with _her_.

Yes, he, the dark, brooding man full of mystery and shadows, the powerful inhuman, emotionless exterior that he tried so hard to uphold. He was utterly and completely obsessed with her.

His only defense to this was that no one could possibly not love her. He had created her, molded her to his perfection. She was his first friend, the only one there for him, who stood by him, loved him, and secretly protected him from all the elements of his life that had almost driven him nearly to the point of insanity time and again.

And that's why he was lying to her. Keeping secrets from her. Keeping secrets from everyone. He had to, he had to do it. _For her._ Everything he did was for her. He knew what he was doing was risky, dangerous, and in all, complete betrayal to the people who had taken them in, shielded them from the cruelties from the world, and helped him become as powerful as he was today. But he was going to do it anyways. Oh yes, he would. He always would. _For Her_.

His grip around her tightened and he nuzzled his head into the crook of her neck, inhaling the smell of her soft, luscious hair. Silently smirking to himself, he thought of the irony of the position they were in. If anyone had known he had been this affectionate, heads certainly would be rolling. But at the moment, he didn't care. As long as he could hold her, kiss her, smell her, _taste_ her, lo-

"... Mhn... Master? Are you awake?" came her soft whisper, bringing him out of his thoughts.

God, how her loved her voice.

"Aye, puppet. Have you a nice sleep then?" he asked, twirling a lock of her hair in his hands.

Stretching her arms and trying to shake off the last remains of sleep from her mind, Sakura turned her body so she was now facing Sasori, though still clutched tightly in his arms.

"Mhm... Have you decided if you're going tonight?" she asked, changing the subject to something that had been plaguing her mind most of the night.

"...No. I have a meeting to go to." answered Sasori, a tone of hardness in his voice.

Sakura's eyes didn't meet his but stared blankly at his chest, thinking quietly on his words. Gripping his loose, white shirt lightly, her face hardened.

"...And does Kakashi know about this 'meeting' of yours, Master?"

Sasori said nothing, still fixated on her head of pink hair.

"Master... I-I don't... I don't like this... Always going out to these 'meetings' of yours, not telling anyone what you're doing or who you're seeing... You're being secretive, Master... Even with me." Sakura's harsh voice cut through, but hidden underneath one could hear the hurt and worry.

Sasori's anger rose but he managed to keep his voice calm and stern "It's not your place to like it or not, Sakura. Do _not_ question me."

Wide eyed for a moment but then dropping her gaze, Sakura moved off the bed in one swift motion and walked over to the only visible window in the room, her long white nightgown trailing behind her elegantly.

Sighing, Sasori pulled himself off the bed and sluggishly made his way behind her. Taking her shoulders into his large hands and lightly rubbing, Sasori softly began kissing the nape of her neck. Sakura gave no response and continued to look out the window, focused only on the rain outside.

"...Please, Sakura, trust me. That's all I ask."

Sakura spun around in a flash, releasing herself from his gentle hold, "But this is wrong! I don't know what you're doing, but you're lying to everyone, Master! You're lying to _me_... I don't feel good about this... Please, Master, please, couldn't you just tell me-"

"I can't, Sakura..." he cut her off.

Sakura's mouth hung open slightly, tears beginning to form in her large, emerald eyes. The consternated look on her face almost made Sasori want to reach out and beg for her forgiveness, beg for her not to feel pain. Almost.

Gently lifting her chin up, the puppet master wove his arms around his puppets thin waist and brought her body close to his. He rested his head atop hers, giving her access to lay her head against his chest. He needed to reassure her somehow. He needed to make her understand what he was doing without _really_ letting her understand.

He couldn't tell her. He wouldn't. Because he knew if he did he'd break her heart, and the red haired puppet master just couldn't deal with that. Not now. He would tell her eventually though. Yes, he would. He'd have to. And when he did, when everything was done, she'd understand. She'd be happy with him. She'd forgive him. He knew she would. He knew.

But right now, there were only so many things he could do for her. Only so many things...

"... Please, remember, Puppet... Everything that I've done... Everything that I'm doing... And anything that I'll ever do... _Is for you_."

* * *

Temari's heart was beginning to pace at an irregular rate. Her breathing was erratic. Her hands began to shake. Looking over at her brother, who stood at the opposite end of the ring, she saw the same look of worry scattered across his face. They were both thinking the same thing.

Tonight wasn't a good night.

Nodding her head at him, Kankuro received the silent message she was trying to send. He could read her eyes perfectly; he could tell exactly what it was that she was thinking. They were in complete harmony, in sync with each other to a tee.

Relaxing her posture, Temari faked a smile to the crowd who remained cheering for them, completely oblivious to the fact that this _wasn't_ supposed to be happening. _He_ wasn't supposed to be this much out of control.

Her elbow long, white gloved hands elegantly were placed at either side of her body, giving a beautiful contrast to the blue satin evening gown that gracefully hugged her body. As her breathing increased, her chest contracted uncomfortably against the low cut of her dress. She hitched her shoulders, slightly, wishing almost subconsciously that she could cover up.

Sneaking another look at her brother, she saw a large gust of sand come in contact with his body, ruining the traditional, English black tuxedo with tails that he had so happily bought just the other day. He appeared to be unaffected by the wind to the crowd, but Temari knew just how much _his_ sand had hurt her brother.

The nod she had just given him was the signal. She knew that in a matter of moments, they'd begin the sealing technique. She knew that it would be harder tonight then most nights. It would require more concentration, more control, and more _power_. But most of all, it would require complete trust in her partner. And she did trust him. Trusted him with every bone in her body and ever cell of blood that coursed in both of their veins. Because she knew he'd never let her down, never let _him_ escape.

It was time. The silent signal that they had so carefully prepared for nights such as these had been received and she knew he was ready. Ready to re-seal their dear younger brother as he begun to let the demon inside him spin more and more out of control.

They both spun around, breaking eye contact with the audience to now face the center of the performance ring, Temari on the left, Kankuro on the right, and in the center, the monster that everyone in the audience had been so frantically cheering for. The monster that the spectators adored. The monster who struck complete and utter fear into his own two siblings.

In the center of the ring spun a large tornado of sand, so huge that if it as much as moved even a millimeter out of the ring, everyone inside a kilometer radius could die instantly. In the eye of the tornado, he floated, arms spread wide and beginning to transform from human limbs to something... _something else_. Looking closely, the two siblings knew he was grinning that insane, sadistic grin of his. They could hear him laughing, hear his screams, and hear his words. And of course, the crowd thought it was all show, that this boy who was spinning about in the sand wasn't _really_ insane.

This was their job now. To keep the beast tamed. To make sure he never moved out of the boundaries. To protect the people from what they thought was all just an illusion. From what they thought was all show, nothing more. Nothing serious.

The fools.

As she clasped her hands together and closed her eyes, her brother mimicked the same movement in perfect timing with her. Slowly, pale green light begun to form at the center of the siblings' palms. It glowed faintly at first, the crowd paying no mind to it, but as the light begun to grow brighter and brighter, the spectators' eyes moved their gaze with curiosity.

Temari's eyes began to open to reveal the same glowing green light as her palms did. She looked past all the sand in her line of vision to see that her brother, too, had achieved the same amount of energy inside of him along with a faint glow along his paint markings on his face. Now, it was time. They were ready, prepared for what was to come.

In a synchronized motion, the two partners elegantly threw themselves to the floor, their hands moving apart and stopping them from colliding face first into the ground, and at the same time sending a jolt of energy into the ground. A circle of bright energy begun to surround the spinning tornado of sand, bright light almost blinding everyone in the big tent. Odd symbols and signs faintly traced the outside and inside of the circle, glowing brighter and brighter.

Noticing the new circumstances, the boy in the tornado's face changed from sadistic and happy to enraged. Trashing about, he felt his sand begin to weaken; he felt his body slowly being pulled down to the ground. His screams grew louder in protest; his eyes were wide and red with fury. Mustering up as much energy as he could, he tried fighting back, trying his hardest to stop this. Stop his energy from draining. Stop the demon inside him from being hidden away again. Stop the green light from once again sealing him back to the mortal that he was.

Sweat dripped from Temari and Kankuro's foreheads as they tried their best to keep a steady flow of energy into the sealing ring. They could feel _him _fighting back, he always did. But tonight was different. Tonight, he was worse, his power was stronger, and he was at his peak.

They had told Kakashi countless times not to let them perform tonight. Any night but tonight. Not when the moon was as full as this. But they had to, because Ring Master had commanded it. And they were not about to go against him, never against him. Never _again_.

**"NO! KILL HIM, **_**KILL HIM!**_** I must... I **_**must!! **_**... Tonight's the night... Tonight's the night... THE NIGHT, T-THE NIGHT HE DIES! AAAH-HAHAHA!"** screamed the demonic voice, followed by a shrill scream.

The sand had almost complete decreased giving the audience a clear view of _him_ in his tantrum. They were almost there, almost. As soon as they knew the beast had been perfectly sealed they had only 3.2 seconds to run over to their brother and restrain him. 3.2 seconds _exactly_. Any longer and the beast would be freed once more, thus resulting in the deaths of everyone in the stadium.

_3.2 seconds._

Temari's glowing eyes made contact with Kankuro's. It was time.

In one, large jolt, they moved their hands away from the ground, releasing the seal that they had worked on so hard. In split seconds, faster then the human eye could see, both Temari and Kankuro were at either side of their younger brother. Clapping their hands together once more, a large, green box appeared, surrounding the screeching demon boy.

All that remained were the locks. Chains, locks of all sizes, latches of steel, wood and iron covered the huge coffin-like box along with glowing symbols that were identical to those of the large ring surrounding the three. In no more then a blink of an eye, ever lock and chain surrounding the box had been snapped shut. The glow of the green light had decreased, the sand had stopped swirling. All that was left was Temari on one side of the box, Kankuro on the other, resting their hands on the green wood, panting.

And the audience broke out in loud applause, screaming and cheering for the magnificence of the three siblings. A few men dressed in regular working clothes came out and lifted the screaming box along with a few others who helped Temari and Kankuro walk off of the circus ring.

Running out after them was, once again, the host and former preformer at the carnival, Naruto.

"THANK YOU, THANK YOU, ONE AND ALL! PLEASE SHOW YOUR APPRECIATION TO THE SAND SIBLINGS! TEMARI, KANKURO, AND THE SAND DEMON HIMSELF, GAARA!" yelled the energetic blond through his voice projector, earning more cheering and screams from the crowd.

Waiting for them to settle down, Naruto clapped his hands, smiled and waved. He was shaking slightly, anxiety and excitement coursing through his veins. This was it, the moment that he, along with most in the carnival, had been waiting for.

Smirking, the boy brought the voice projector up to his lips once more, a smirk plastered across his face.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, it's now time for our final act!"

Cheers once again consumed the air of the Big Tent.

"Now, I know you were all expecting a performance from our Puppet Master, but I'm afraid there's been a change in the program tonight and he will not be performing ..."

Murmurs and groans of protest coursed through the crowd, the spectators not please with the fact that the performance for which they had waited the entire night had been canceled.

Naruto's smirk only widened, "Ah, please, Ladies and Gentlemen, don't fret, for we have something equally entertaining coming up for you all... Please, welcome, for the first time on the Unearthed stage in ten years, a newcomer with promising talent. A man who will be, for the first time, showcasing his talent for the viewing of others..."

Curiosity laced throughout the audience. The groans of protest were replaced with the soft whispers of intrigue as to what was about to happen. The disappointments slowly begun to fade as the prospect of being the very first to witness what was said to be something amazing rang in their heads. Being Londoners, the pride of knowing the latest gossip about this new act thrilled them even more than the prospect of watching an old one.

These people lived off gossip, good or bad. Especially when it was about the world's exotic Japanese carnival.

Lowering his voice slightly, Naruto expression turned triumphant and his eyes twinkled in excitement, "Now, please, Ladies and Gentlemen... Allow me to present to you, for the first time...

_Sasuke Uchiha, the Illusionist..."_

The lights went out.

After a moment, a single light flashed on brightly, illuminating only the very center of the performing ring. A foggy mist could be seen in the light reaching half a meter in height. The glow of the light itself seemed to shine a tint of blue, giving a cold sort of atmosphere.

Standing in the light were two figures, a man and a woman.

The woman wore her hair down in the rather odd fashion of one side being much shorter then the other, the striking color of red adding onto her distinctive look. Small spectacles rested on the bridge of her nose and her lips were drawn in a thin, emotionless line. Her shoulders were bare save for the thin strings holding up her long, slinky black dress with a long slit down the side, exposing her long, creamy leg in a rather scandalous fashion.

All in all, the woman had a rather appealing look with fair features and a complexion that would make most men blush at first glance. Yes, she was a rather pretty girl. But she could not compare to her partner beside her.

The man stood tall and proud, his black tailored suit fitting him fashionably along with the bright white undershirt. With a formal black bow tie hanging tightly around his neck, white gloved hands laced behind his back, and shadow-like spiky hair atop his head, this man embodied sophistication and high class.

An uncomfortable air of silence took place throughout the performance arena, something not uncommon at the Unearthed but equally unnecessary. People awaited this newcomers' first move with anticipation, a string of ideas as to what exactly he would do pouring through their heads. The anxiety in the room ran thick, each and every person perspiring off the thought of his first move. His first act.

Little did they know that this particular act required almost no movement at all.

Bringing one polished white glove up to his thinly drawn lips, the dark haired man cleared his throat as though there were others speaking and he aimed to gather their attention. The one act alone sent a fit of electric shocks going down the audiences' spine.

Moving the gloved hand away, the man mumbled something under his breath that he was sure only his partner could hear before she slipped out of the spotlight and back into the shadows. Now, being the center of attention of the audience, the black haired newcomer made his first motion to speak.

"... Ladies and Gentlemen," he began in a monotonous voice, "... To allow my trick to work to its highest degree of success... I only require one thing from each and every spectator..."

The suspense was killing them now. His words came out like velvet and he spoke as though he were a man of wisdom and pride, but at the same time his words did not seem to make any sense. They did not click. What could he possibly want from them, they pondered. What was the man... no, this _boy_, getting at.

"... The one thing I require... Is your complete and full attention on the center of the stage. Eyes must be kept strait forward and if you so much as look away for a moment, my illusion will not work... But I must warn you; this act of illusion is not for the faint of heart... Please remember that what you are about to see is _not_ real... No matter how authentic it may appear."

The crowd had no time to let his words sink in before his hands came together at the center of his chest in an odd sort of gesture. Closing his eyes, the Illusionist began muttering incoherent nothings to himself while his hands started to shake. No spectacular light could be seen pouring from his body, no amazing movements that indicated he was indeed _doing_ something was shown to the crowd. Nothing. But at the same time, every single person sitting in that room could almost _feel_ the energy building in him. The adrenalin, the power, the excitement. The essence of immense strength and power... The crowd could almost _smell_ it.

And as he opened his eyes, the crowd, whose gaze was still fixated directly on him as instructed, could only gasp as an overwhelming feeling overcame them. Their consciousness began to slip from their minds, their five senses slowly drifted away and were replaced with a feeling of cold numbness. Feeling sleepy, the people could only see one thing before falling into a deep stait of mind.

Red eyes.

* * *

_You're floating above a clear blue sky._

_No sense of gravity can be felt as you move sweetly through warm rays of sun and over soft white clouds._

_How long have you been floating? _

_You don't know._

_You don't care._

_It's alright, though. You're perfectly content. Here, in your utopia, in your Eden, far, far away from any sort of earth. Threes no reality here. No obligation, commitment, no chains that bind you to your _"hard"_ life below._

_Yes, poor you. You and your riches given to you by dear old dead daddy. Did you have to kill him to get the inheritance? Maybe. But you didn't like killing him though, you felt _bad_. Bad that you cheated and lied to get where you were today, bad that you're living the rich life while others suffer, bad that you'll do whatever it takes to get what you want. Yes, poor, poor you. What a sad victim you are._

_But it's okay now. Everything's alright. No one will punish you here. No one will see the blood on your hands so high up in the sky. Yes, you'll be content just swinging life away in this beautiful world all to yourself. Forever and ever._

_Floating away._

_Away..._

_Away..._

_Away..._

_That is, until the feeling of spiraling downward occurs._

_Eyes wide open and body falling down and away from the paradise of before, screams and echoes of insanity and pain can be head. You wonder if it is your own voice that you hear. _

_The sight of land below could be seen and for a moment relief courses through your body. Relief that someone would catch you, save you, show mercy upon you._

_But you know that's not how the world works._

_There is no such thing as mercy._

_Even if you know none of this is real._

_The idea of smashing into the rocky earth comes with a surprising feeling of . You feel yourself moving closer and closer to the earth's core. Moving further and further away from your heaven and closer and closer to your hell._

_Bursts of heat flash harshly against your face. You don't really feel worried, though, even though you know perfectly well that you'll scar and be left with horrid marks. Marks of an outcast. Marks of a freak. But it's not like it matters, anyway. You'll be joining them soon enough._

_And there you are._

_In the fiery wrath of hell._

_Sinners, gamblers, cheaters, liars, whores, demons... They're all there, flaunting the many characteristics that you share with them but are too good at hiding from the rest world. _

_They dance around you, touch you, defile you._

_And no matter how hard you try to scream, no one will save you. No one can hear you. Because your one of them as well._

_Now you see it.All your selfish little lovelys being ripped away from you. The women in your life being raped and tortured over and again. The men you love being ripped to shreds right before your eyes. Houses being burnt down, worldly possessions snatched and discarded._

_Yes, it's all gone now._

_Death, genocide, rape, blood._

_It surrounds you. You're bathing in it. Basking in its filth._

_But the sad thing is, you're loving it._

_Loving the pain that's running through you._

_Loving the disgust and remorse that plagues you._

_Loving the tears of agony and despair as they run down your tattered face._

_Yes, this is it, you think. The end of your life. The end of it all. No one will save you now, no one will find you, comfort you, love you. There will be no more sunshine in your life, no more rainbows. Only this, this - this never-ending nightmare of insanity and sin._

_And just before you think you're about to snap..._

_Just before you feel like you're about to break down and lose your mind..._

_Just before you decide to give in to that howling demon within... _

_You see him._

_The man._

_The black haired, cold, mysterious man._

_The black haired, cold, mysterious man and his beautiful red eyes..._

_**And you're free.**_

* * *

The crowd let out one single synchronized scream. It was brief, no more then a second, but it started and ended at the same time, like they were all one.

And then it was silent again. The air free from any sort of speech. The faint echo of some week ones vomiting violently hummed in the background along with a few people sobbing here and there. The audience sat – or lay – there, in shock.

The newcomer was on his knees now, his hands grasping his head in a tight hold and shaking hard. The red haired woman was at his side. No one knew what she had done or where she had gone, and yet she too was sitting beside him, panting, and softly whispering unheard words into his ear. When she finished, he smirked.

Gathering up as much strength as he could muster, the black haired man stood back up along with the assistance of the pretty red head. His eyes were still closed and small tears of blood seeped down his face. The blood was wiped away immediately by the woman, who carefully made sure that there was not a single blemish on his face. Slowly, the newcomer opened his eyes to look out into the crowd. They were black once again.

The audience replayed the illusion in their heads over and over again. The peaceful heaven at first, then the disastrous hell. Had they all had the same vision, they wondered. Had they all seen the same things, felt the same feelings, heard the same sounds?

The silence was starting it irk the boy standing center stage. This was his shot, his only chance at getting into the carnival. He needed this to work. _It had to_. The crowd had to like it, because if they didn't, his whole plan would be completely ruined. And if his plan was ruined...

Then he heard it. Two hands off in this distant background colliding with each other to make and echoing sound throughout the Big Top. It was a slow, uneven rhythm at first, as if the person applauding wasn't quite sure if they knew exactly what they were doing, but gradually the clapping grew louder and faster, encouraging others to do the same.

And then in a jolt, the whole room was on their feet, screaming and clapping. Loud cheers and praise rang through the room in what seemed to be one of the loudest applauses the Unearthed Carnival had ever seen in its lifetime. People were pushing and shoving to get closer, to get a better look at the boy who had been able to perform such an amazing feat. Was it all smoke and mirrors? Trick of the light? They didn't know. They didn't _care_. All the spectators knew was that this boy was amazing, that he was genius.

And they loved him.

Sweat rolled down his forehead and a quiet sigh of relief escaped the boy's lips. He was temped to smile, but didn't. Just a smirk would be sufficient for now. He couldn't think, he could barely breathe. The insane screaming of the crowd was drowned away from his ears, the hug and feeling of his red haired companions lips being pressed feverishly against his own was almost nonexistent. Only one thing was going through his mind at that moment.

He did it.

* * *

Ino's cheers were loudest out of all of her companions. She was on her feet and practically laughing as she shouted more and more praise to the gifted boy in the center of the audience. The only one to rival her own cheers was the other blond haired and blue eyed of the group as he jumped out of the stands and ran over to the center of the ring to close the show and introduce the newcomer again.

Shikamaru sat still in his seat, wide-eyed at what he had seen. Usually he would have been slightly annoyed at all the attention Ino had been giving so flirtatiously, but at the moment he was too busy trying to figure out how exactly that boy had done what he had just did. An extremely large boy beside him had his mouth full of chips hanging open and eyes wide, still staring dead ahead. Kiba and his dog were jumping up and down franticly with TenTen while speaking gibberish, trying, without luck, to put together a proper sentence.

In the shadows stood two people: a man with long, brown hair and a petite young woman with short blue hair standing a tad too close to each other. Their trained, unusually colored, eyes stayed fixated on the scene below while they clapped politely with the rest of the stadium.

Giggling like mad, Ino sat down and turned to her companion sitting in the seat beside her. Adrenalin pounded through her veins and it looked like the pink petticoat on her dress would snap off from all the heavy breathing she was doing. Grabbing onto her friends hands in a death grip, Ino squealed louder, looking as if she were about to faint from the excitement.

"Dear god, it was _amazing, _Sakura, AMAZING! I-I had no idea he - and that thing - his eyes were - and the floating and then the - and then - Oh my _god_," Ino managed to rasp out while still shaking violently.

Her pink haired companion smiled sweetly and kept her eyes trained on the scene below her. Her plastic smile looked slightly asque, but no one seemed to notice. Turning her head to face Ino's, Sakura's gentle eyes laughed in amusement at her friend's antics as she tried her best to calm her.

"It sounds like you really enjoyed the show, Ms. Ino. Did you really find it that entertaining?" Sakura elegantly asked, as she patted her friends back soothingly.

"It had to be one of the best things I'd ever seen!" screamed Ino, now managing to put sentences together properly, "I mean, I knew that guy was the sexiest thing I've ever seen on two legs, but that illusion was just so-- so-- _unbelievable_! God, I'm getting so damned horny thinking about all the other things he could do to me..."

Some women sitting behind the girls gasped and fluttered their feather fans disapprovingly while muttering gossip under their breaths. A few men coughed uncomfortably and tried to look away even though the tone of the blond girl's voice sent erotic chills down their spine. Ino didn't seem to notice, as she never did, but Sakura had. Laughing softly to herself, the pinkette shook her head in joking disapproval at her friend.

"Ms. Ino, you know perfectly well that a lady should not speak that way, especially in the presence of others!" Sakura joked.

Ino ignored the comment and sighed dreamily to herself, "He's amazing, Sakura. I need to have him, no matter what it takes."

"Ah, is that so, Ms. Ino? And what of that other woman down there? She already seems quite taken with this Sasuke Uchiha character already," Sakura smiled in a cheeky tone.

Ino glanced down at the boy to see the red headed woman kissing him in a heat of passion. Her exposed leg begun to slowly wrap itself around his, like a silent promise of more to come later. Ino's face was marred with jealousy and her teeth ground together in her mouth.

"I don't care. He can't refuse me; I won't let him pick her over me. I will have him. _I will_."

A silent war had been declared in Ino's mind, Sakura could see it in her eyes. Sighing, Sakura looked down to the boy below with curiosity. She didn't know what was so desirable about him. Why so many in the crowd swooned over him. She laughed to herself. There was no way she could ever fall so deeply infatuated with this boy. She had her Master, after all.

A picture of her and the black haired boy together entered her mind, but she shrugged it off as nothing. Laughing to herself, Sakura knew there was no one she could ever love as she did her Master. No one.

"...Tell me, Miss. Ino, what exactly did you see in the illusion he preformed?" asked Sakura, trying to change the subject.

Ino looked at her with a puzzled expression, "What do you mean, Sakura? Everyone had the same illusion. Didn't you experience it for yourself?"

Sakura gave a soft, bitter smile and directed her attention back to the seen below. She watched the red head kiss him, watched the boy stand bewildered at the crowds reactions, watched Naruto as he boomed out him praise. It was not until a moment after Ino had asked her question before Sakura answered.

"Why, Ms. Ino... You know perfectly well that only a human can fall into an illusion."

* * *

The room was dark; spare for one flickering wax candle that served as the sole light in the room. It was night out but not even the stars outside could give the faintest glow to light up the room for him. No, such beauty as starlight could never shine on one of the damned.

As he sat at his dusty work table which housed the small flickering candle, he continued to carefully carve out every detail on his little wooden dolls face to perfection. The doll wore no clothes and was graced with no hair yet, its edges were still rough and in need of sanding, and no paint had been used on it. Just a simple carving of wood. Just a simple pastime as he waited for his visitors to arrive.

He could hear the far off echo of the screaming crowds in the Big Top. He knew it was close to closing time and that meant that the boy with the unusual talent would be performing soon. He had hoped that he'd be able to catch a glance of the performance; he wanted to know what exactly this boy was up to. He was never a very paranoid man, but there was just something about this Sasuke Uchiha that didn't quite settle well with him. He knew he was up to something, something that didn't involve wanting to be a performer in a carnival. He could see it in his eyes. He could tell, for he, too, had the same desire.

They were getting closer now. He could feel it. They always came around this time of night, lurking in the shadows and magically appearing behind him without a sound. They had been teasing him so far with riddles; they were keeping the information that he so desperately needed from them a secret. But not tonight. Tonight would be the night that they would tell him what he wanted or he would refuse them all together. Tonight was the night.

And then he felt it. A soft breeze brush lightly past his cheek. He was not startled by it, he was never one to be caught off guard. Even if he knew that there was no such thing as a breeze in an air-tight room.

Turning in his chair, he did not make eye contact with them as he continued to skillfully carve the face of his little wooden puppet. His eyes drifted momentarily from the puppet to the floor of the room only to see the faint outline of two long coats. Two black and red coats.

"Looks like you've been expecting us, yeah..." spoke up the first of the two in a deep, masculine voice.

The man paused his carving for a moment, but then continued.

"You've been coming on the same night of the week on the same hour of the night for the past six weeks... I thought the least I could do would be to be prepared this time," he answered in a cool tone of voice.

A chuckle was herd, "You really are an amusing one, Sasori, yeah... And I see you're still on about those "artistic" puppets of yours... Yeah, once you join we'll have to change your thinking on that... Yeah..."

Sasori smirked but still didn't look up, "... Another reason as to why I must decline your offer, for if I was to join your little... _Organization_... I would have to succumb to your idiotic badgering on what you believe art really is day after day... while I would then have to repeatedly inform you that you are completely wong on the matter."

The guest growled under his breath, "I'll have you know that-"

"Enough," an icy, female voice cut in. Immediately, the first of the pair silenced to its partners will.

"...I take it that you've thought carefully on our proposition then, Sasori? You must understand that it is a most... generous offer, and it would be terribly unwise for you to decline. I hope that you are aware of just how many others could only dream of being in your place," continued the woman, her monotonous voice free of any sort of emotion.

Sasori's facial expression didn't change as he continued his wood carving, "If there are so many others of which you speak of, then why don't you recruit one of them? You know perfectly well that I have no interest in the agenda of your leader. I'm not quite one to bend to another's will without exactly knowing why I'm doing it in the first place."

"It seems that's all you people ever do _here_, yeah," retorted the male of the two.

Sasori let out a low chuckle under his breath, "Yes, but unlike your master, mine has no intention of world domination."

Sasori's words pierced the two intruders like a dagger. They were caught completely off guard by his remark and their minds franticly raced as they tried to think of what to say next.

"...Yes, I did know of your plans. I'm not _that _ignorant. But I'm not interested in them in the slightest. I am content with my life here at the Unearthed... And I know if I should leave... Something very precious to me would be greatly dissapointed... And we can't have that, now can we?" continued Sasori.

"We told you before, you could take that little dolly of yours with you, yeah." sneered the male.

"...You seem to still not grasp my point. _She_ wouldn't be pleased about leaving here, and I'm sorry to say that I hold her opinions in higher regard then your leaders."

The woman was now fuming. She took one step forward, trying to intimidate Sasori, but she still remained in the shadows. Only the light sparkle of the flower ordiment in her hair gave any indication that she herself was not really a shadow monster at all.

"Join us. We could give you so much more then this place can. We can give you power, wealth, riches only few can dream of! All you have to do is say the word." she rasped, getting tired of going around in circles with this man.

"I'm sorry to say those things simply do not interest me," Sasori put simply. "Now, you've heard my answer and I've herd your proposal and I believe that-"

"Ah-ah... We have one other thing we can offer you... Something that we believe you would be _very_ interested in, indeed... Yeah..." cut in the male with a sly voice.

Sasori quirked his brow and momentarily looked up from his woodwork.

"Oh? And what exactly do you think would interest me?" he asked with fake surprise. He knew very well what they were about to offer and he had been awaiting this moment for far too long.

The woman smirked, thinking that she had finally won this ever-going battle between the puppet master and her own Leader. She knew he wouldn't resist this, he couldn't. She hadn't wanted to go as far as to begin leeking out the secrets of her _group_ just yet, but she knew that desperate times called for desperate measures. No matter though, she thought. Once she told him this little tidbit of information, he was theirs. Forever.

"...We know the secret of turning that doll of yours into a human..."

_My screams are silent_

_My echo isn't there_

_Because no one can hear a dead man cry_

_Because no one really cares_

**Act Three:  
Scene /End/**

**Authors Notes**

I'm actually really proud of this chapter. I think its the shit.

Yessss, my loves, more of the plot starts to unfold and its just getting more and more interesting, isn't it? Now, alot of the mentioned things in this chapter might be a bit out of charecter and oddly strange, but you know this fic isn't going to be all sunshine and roses.

On that note, if I get any whiny reviews says "OMFG I love tenten don't make her so emo make neji fall and love wit her and make her be happy," I'll scream.

And not update.

Ever.

So review?

lmffao. thats all I have to say about that.

-

**Just a word to the wise**, this story will contain : graphic, mature content. Swaring, violence, sexual content, extreemly mature situations, and all the lovely little goodies that you know you all secretly enjoy so much. Some of the things in this story WILL be hard to handle, but trust me when I say its all for the good of the story.

**Editor**: Roses Of Sharon, my ever-beloved friend who was the first to read this story and kick me in the ass when I wrote somthing akwardly wrong. I love you.

-

_Next Time On The Greatest Show Unearthed...  
Act Four: Anathematized_

_She shook harder, her eyes stairing harder and harder at his soft flesh. Her mouth started to water and phome the way a dogs would and the look in her eyes read somthing unimaginable. Somthing disturbing. _

_Hunger._

_-_

...and thats all, folks.

-Skyler


	4. Anathematized

_I've never told a lie,_

_And that makes me a lier_

_I've never made a bet,_

_But we gamble with desire_

The soft pitter-patter of Kakashi's feet as they made a fast pace on the ground echoed throughout the tiny hallway of which he was striding down. His legs were tired from the brisk walk he had taken from the Unearthed to this remote part of inner London, his one visible eye grew limp and in much need of rest due to the late hour of the night, but his mind and will-power made it possible for him to continue forward.

It was always like this, each time the Ring Master had made a call on him to meet. Never was Kakashi given any sort of prior notice or some signal that he would be summoned; it was always a brief note placed centrally atop his desk in his room with the Ring Master's symbol, _**RM**_, stamped in red wax sealing it shut. Kakashi was very careful to always leave the room inside his private wagon locked and guarded at all times, but that note had always been placed in that one spot without disturbances to any of his locks. Somehow, the note had always managed to magically appear, giving him the location of the meeting and a time span of fifteen minutes to get there without any complications.

Of course, Kakashi was always late. It was as expected of him. But over the years the Ring Master had grown accustomed to the lack of punctuality and no longer felt the need to create a fuss over it.

As Kakashi walked down what seemed to be a never-ending hallway, he couldn't help but feel an eerie sort of feeling in the pit of his stomach about the place. The Ring Master never lived at the carnival like the rest of the workers, for fear of his identity being leaked out to unwanted _others_. But he was always near by, always.Sometimes in grand hotels in the more posh side of the city of which they were touring in, other times in disgusting dumps where only thieves, beggars, criminals, and the like chose to mingle.

Like any other sensible person, Kakashi preferred the... _cleaner _side of the street life, where he wasn't constantly looking over his shoulder to see if he was being followed. He was always very grateful to the Ring Master when he chose to meet in a much more... safe environment. Today, however, he had no such luck.

When he first walked into the old, abandoned-looking building which he could only assume was some sort of motel, Kakashi was greatful that no one spared him a glace as he walked into the lobby and up the stairs to the floor of which the meeting was supposed to be held. Even now as he was nearing the end of the hall, Kakashi couldn't help but feel slightly uncomfortable as thoughts of what the people who inhabited this filthy place were really up to.

Finally, at the end of the hall, Kakashi's one visible eye studied the room number with intensity. Perhaps it was coincidence, or maybe just a preference of taste, but every time the Ring Master called on Kakashi, he was always in a room with the exact same number on it.

666.

A tired sigh escaped Kakashi's masked lips as he composed himself before rapping lightly on the large oak door before him. Immediately, the door swung open, and Kakashi made his way into the dimly lit room.

From what he could make out, the only visible peice of furniture in the room was an old, round table surrounded by a few chairs. The table was empty, except for an old, flickering wax candle that looked as though it had been burning for a good length of time. Kakashi could see that only half the table was lit by the light, while the other half was buried deep inside the dark shadows of the room. As usual, Kakashi knew that somewhere in that never-ending darkness was the Ring Master himself, his ever present smirk gracing his mysterious face.

Sitting on the lighter side of the table were the two other managers of the Unearthed and Kakashi's most trusted allies, Asuma and Kurenai.

Kurenai wore her usual attire which consisted of a plain red dress that covered her ankles to preserve her modesty, her hair up in a tight bun, and the same belt full of keys strapped securely around her waist. She sat poised and upright in her chair, where as Asuma was slumped sluggishy in his chair with the same little cigarette placed firmly in the corner of his mouth.

The two did not need to turn their gaze away from where they were looking, they were fully aware of whome it was entering the room. Closing the door behind him, Kakashi strolled over to the table and sat beside Asuma who now sat wedged between the silver haired man himself and Kurenai. Once he was seated properly, Kakashi knew the meeting had officially begun.

"**I am most humbled that you could join us, Kakashi...**" came the usual greeting from the shadows.

The Ring Master's voice had a very deep, rich tone to it, adding more mystery to his personality. He wasn't speaking Japanese, he preferred to use English as frequent as possible seeing as neither he nor any member of the Unearthed had been back to Japan for over ten years. He didn't exactly sound too serious, for his voice hide a tint of intrigue and amusement to it.

This was the game the ring master played. Always confusing to Kakashi, always keeping him on his toes about everything. Although Kakashi, Asuma and Kurenai had known this man for quite a long time, he still remained a complete perplexity to them.

Kakashi closed his one eye and gave an easy smile, "Well, leaving the Unearthed vacant of all of its managers is not the easiest thing to do, Sir. Especially when you take into consideration of the all exciting events that have taken place this evening. Even now I'm feeling a bit uneasy about leaving Gai in charge during my absence."

"**I don't worry about Gai, he's always been one to follow orders and never ask any... **_**questions **_**as to where you three always disappear to,**" chuckled the Ring Master, sending chills down his company's spines.

"**I trust the three of you found your way here without any complications? I hope that Kakashi enjoyed his brisk walk over to my little temporary abode. I know how much he loves places like these,**" the Ring Master put, idly.The clincking of glass, probably his usual cup of liquor, rung in the background.

"Well, I know your affinity for these slums is overwhelming, so I thought I'd take my dear time on my way here to see just what it was that you found so interesting about them," casually put Kakashi, earning himself a soft, amused snort.

It was well known fact between the three that when in the presence of the Ring Master, one was supposed to make sure he was kept well entertained with witty small talk and some sorty of stimulating conversation constantly. It was an unspoken rule that must be kept at all times. No one really knew why the nature of the man was like this, the idea itself was perplexing. Perhaps the Ring Master was lonely all the time assumed spent alone. Maybe it was just a little amusing game he played so he wouldn't come off the typ of man who was purely business. Of course, one has to take into account that he was the one who had founded and sheltered a fairly large group of children who now today hold him in the highest respect, so perhaps he wasn't all that serious. Maybe he wasn't that bad.

But for Kakashi and the members of the Unearthed who had actually met the Ring Master, they knew better then to assume that this mysterious man was some sort of saint. The fact of the matter was, Kakashi knew he was far from it. He was a deadly, ingenious, and rather terrifying man. If something was not done according to his liking, terrible things could happen.

There was only one occasion where someone had dared defy him, only once. The poor boy didn't have a chance when the Ring Master got to him, and until this day he remained an insain lunitic, kept a prisoner to his mind and would forever be reminded of the chains that bound him to the Unearthed and its Ring Master.

Kakashi's cool facade was hard to keep up considering his mind was still pondering on more pressing matters. Hoping not to loose his cool, he turned to Kurenai, who nodded and quickly cut the small talk.

"Excuse me, Sir, but... I can't help but to assume that your reason for calling us here tonight has something to do with the boy who preformed earlier... I trust you yourself witnessed his performance?" asked Kurenai, her voice straight-forward and precise.

The soft clianking of glass stopped and for a brief moment there was silence in the room. The Ring Master gave a soft sigh, like he had just finished taking a long drink of whatever swam in his glass, then followed by the sound of his liquor glass resting gently back on the table.

"**Yes, Kurenai. Sharp and to the point, as per usual. Indeed, we are here to discuss the new commers' verdict and the next location Unearthed will be heading to,**" the Ring Master began, his voice secretive, "**I saw the boy's little trick and I must say... I was indeed quite astonished... When I first informed that his last name was Uchiha, thought that he could possibly be one of thoes Uchiha's hadn't dared to cross my mind... I had always assumed that our own dear Kakashi was the last **_**known **_**user of those beautiful eyes... Even if he doesn't have the Uchiha blood...**"

Kakashi shifted in his chair uncomfortably, not liking the turn the conversation had been forced to take. It was an extreme taboo to speak of Kakashi's right eye. The memories of the past were meant to remain memories and never once should they resurface. Especially when it came to Kakashi.

Sensing the slight shift of Kakashi's mood, Asuma was quick to jump in.

"... So, what did you think, Sir? We've never been in a situation like this, letting some new guy in and all. I don't know... The kid's got talent, that for sure, but there's something about him... Something that doesn't sit well with me... Like he's hiding something. I mean, what guy in their right mind would possibly _choose_ to join us when he knows what... what we _are_."

The clinking of the glass begun again along with soft swishing sounds of liquid inside.

**"... And you're very right to assume something like that, Asuma. The boy knows more then he let's ****on, he's got one too many things up his sleeve for my liking. That's why I want you three to keep a close eye on him for the next few months, watch him carefully and make sure you don't miss a thing. The smallest little quirk about his personality could be a very large clue as to the mystery of this Sasuke Uchiha. Be discreett, though. We don't want to scare him off,"** the last part was said in a sort of teasing chuckle, followed by another long drink from his liquor.

Kakashi's one eye widened slightly, "So he's in then? Are you absolutely sure about this, Sir? I mean, when I was with the Uchiha Grand Pree, I saw things that were absolutely unimaginable, but none of the illusions were like this kid's', none of them felt so... so _real_."

The Ring Master snorted, "**Of course you didn't. You were too young and not there long enough to possibly see what a main branch member of the Uchiha was possibly capable of... Yes, I would very much like to learn all the little secrets of this boy... I am most interested... Indeed...**"

Asuma took in a deep breath before speeking, "...So this kids' in then? In for real? He'll travel with us, preform in the huge festival in America in a

few months, learnall our secrets... become one of us?"

The Ring Master threw out another of his infamous chuckles before taking another swerve of the mysterious alcohol that swirled inside his little glass cup.

"**That is correct, Asuma... he is one of us.**"

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The Greatest Show Unearthed  
Act Four  
Anathematized

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Clutching his matchbook tightly in his left hand, Sasuke brought the match that rested between his thumb and forefinger in his right hand into a quick sweeping motion against the sandpaper-like strip, seconds later receiving a small flickering flame on the tip of the match.

Bringing the the lit match up to his mouth, Sasuke lit up his cigarette that sat perched between his lips, then quickly flicked the match away. Taking a long drag from the smoking cigarette, the black haired boy leaned his head against the backboard of the bed with his arms crossed over his bare, muscled chest.

Sasuke inhaled the sweet, calming poisons again before his eyes drifted across the room, taking in its features. He hadn't had much time to really study the room last night seeing as he was still high off all the excitement of the performance. All that really mattered to him was that he found a bed so that he could let out some of his 'adrenalin rush' with his female partner.

The room that they had given him was quaint, to say the least, but better then most places that he'd taken residence in before. Of course, he did have the money to afford more luxurious places, but that money would forever remained untouched. Untouched, until he was prepared to be rid of it all.

After his performance, Naruto had told him that Ring Master had wanted him to stay close to the carnival for the night until they had decided as to if he would officially the carnival join or not. Sasuke and Karin had been given a small caravan, which was about the size of a long room. It was a tad bit cramped, but Sasuke knew that such living conditions were a necessity when joining a moving carnival such as this.

Besides a bed, the room was almost bare of any sort of furnishing. Two small windows allowed the first bit of daybreak inside the room, one large, locked door inbetween them. Four briefcase-like bags stood at the door along with two large trunks with big brass locks snapped on them; Sasuke and Karin's only luggage. Aside from the clothes scattered in a disarray across the floor, the polished wood planks were free of any carpets or accessories. It was a standard living space, full of potential. Potential for being Sasuke's new workshop. A real work shop.

Sasuke was getting anxious. He knew he had done extraordinarily last night, the crowd has loved him. But he knew that that alone might not have been enough. He knew all about this carnival, he had done his research. It was a harsh fact that the Unearthed wasn't the type of job where you could just go for an interview and then get hired.

No, these people were exclusive as to whom they so much as looked at, let alone allow into their little circle. Just like how Sasuke's illusions weren't all smoke and mirrors, these peoples abilities were real, and if someone who wasn't apart of their most trusted circle found out about it then it could cause a catastrophe beyond imagination.

To be allowed in, Sasuke had to prove that he was authentic, that he was a real damned as well. Then and only then would they allow him in, and he knew that when he was let in, there'd be almost no possible way of getting out. Well, no _known_ possible way, that is.

Inhailing the ciggarette deeply, Sasuke felt as through his nerves were shot. He knew this had to work. It _had _to. If it didn't, his entire life's plans would be completely wasted. The Unearthed carnival was the lone key for achieving his most desired dream, of achieving the ultimate power. And once he got that... Then he could finally avenge those who were most important to him.

A light rapping was herd at the door followed by afew grumbles and muttering, breaking Sasuke out of his thoughts. A small groan and shifting was herd beside him. Looking in the direction, Sasuke was greeted with the sight of his assistant, Karin, who had pulled the thin covers over her bare chest more and snuggled into her pillow, still in her dream-like stait and extreemly tired from the previous nights 'activitys'.

The knocking was heard again, this time hastier and louder. Letting out an aggrievated sigh, Sasuke pulled away the covers that rested across his lap and searched the room for a pair of pants. Just as he found the desired item, the knocking started once more in a continuous pattern. Growling obscenities under his breath, Sasuke took another drag from his cigarette before he walked to the door and opened it.

Being greeted with the cool morning air wasn't exactly a preference for a bare-chested young man. The sky was still a bit dark, but the rising sun in the horizon gave a pretty view for the raven-haired boy. Such sunlight was rare in smoggy London, but the probability of it disappearing by noon was high, anyway.

Looking ahead of him, Sasuke saw two men standing side by side.

The first was a tall man, older than other, but not by much. Pasty yellow-white hair stood on its ends on his head, coupled a sullen, almost lifeless expression across his face. His slightly tattered and dirty clothes looked a

bit too small for him, but that was expected for such a huge man who was assumed to be on the lower end of society's "money tree".

Then there was the second man, whose face was marred with a rather sour expression. Sliver-white hair hung limp across his face and hovered just above his shoulders, giving a sort of harmony with his icy-green eyes. Like the older one, his clothes were old and in working condition. Snorting a bit, the silver haired man grunted and gestured his friend towards Sasuke.

"I'm most glad that you've finally decided to grace us with your presence, sir. I _do_hope we didn't wake you so early in the morning from your beauty sleep," said the silver-haired boy, his dagger-like teeth shining as he spoke sarcastically, in a mocking tone.

The older man said nothing, but his eyes shifted slightly as if to warn his partner not to speak so rudely. Sasuke's dark eyes glared down at the silver haired man, trying to seem like the bigger person because he was standing higher then the other two due to the steps of the caravan. The silver haired man simply smirked cockily and quirked an eyebrow, challengingly.

"What do you want?" Sasuke asked, sharply.

"Oh, do forgive me for not introducing myself, sir. My name is Suigetsu... Suigetsu Hozuki, and my big friend over here is Juugo," the man laughed before falling into a low, exagerated bow.

"...And?" Sasuke said, embarrassing the man intorduced as Suigetsu due to the fact he hadn't answered his question.

Suigetsu's face changed from playful to hard and daring.

Sasuke felt a presence behind him, and turning his eyes slightly to the left he could see Karin, red hair in a disarray, a long white sheet wrapped around her body, and a puzzled expression on her still groggy face. Suigetsu raised his chin and looked over Sasuke shoulder, then smirked mischievously.

"Ah, I see you got yourself a pretty little whore over there too, eh? And _I_ thought she was just for show... I wonder, sir, does she charge much? I haven't had a good fuck in a while and I know I could use a go myself," Suigetsu joked, earning a small sigh from his larger friend and an astonished huff from the young lady.

"Sir, how _dare _you be so rude as to-"

"Karin... Not now." cut in Sasuke, sharply, earning complete silence from the red head.

Suigetsu whistled lowly, "Obedient too, eh? Well, haven't you got yourself a fine catch there, sir, if I do say so myself..."

Sasuke ignored his remark, not careing in the slightest, "Why are you here?"

Suigetsu's impish grin only widened as he answered, still eyeing the young woman up and down, "We've been assigned, Juugo and I, to be your personal _entourage_, so to speak. We'll be working for you exclusively, moving your things, watching over your caravans, getting you ready for shows, doing your dirty work, stuff like that. We'll be with you both 24/7... in simplest terms, sir... we're your new best friends."

Suigetsu smirked.

Sasuke's face was stone cold, but on the inside his heart was racing.

"Do you mean to tell me that..."

Suigetsu smirked, "Yeah, buddy. Welcome to The Greatest Show Unearthed!"

- **o -**

Sakura's eyes didn't leave Sasori's body the entire night. She hadn't slept, hadn't eaten, hadn't so much as even spoken a single word, and neither had he.

Once the night's performances were over and enough people had left that she wouldn't be noticed, Sakura bid her friends good night and made the trek from the Big Top into the campsite, pasing all the workers and performers, into the darkness and finally reaching the caravans that she and her master resided in.

Upon entering their home, Sakura knew immediately that something was different. Something had happened. Sasori was sitting in his usual spot at his wood carving table, staring intently at the wood doll that hung limp and lifeless in his hands. The only light in the room was from a small candle on the table, but the glow from the flame wasn't enough for Sakura to be able to see the expression that marred his face.

She tried talking to him, tried getting him to at least show some sign that he was okay, but there was nothing. Only a numb, lifeless interpretation of her Master. Lifeless, almost like one of his own dolls.

Deciding that it was best to leave him alone for the time being, Sakura sat perched on the bed that only rested a few feet away from the table, and for the rest of the night she watched him. Watched, and waited.

Sakura was frightened, that was for sure. Frighten of where he was last night, frighten of all the many times he had disappeared without telling her, frighten of whatever it was that was making him betray the Unearthed, his family, frightened of his actions now, but most of all, frightened of the fact that she was being kept in the dark.

The pink haired doll's eyes watched through the small window with fascination as the first traces of morning spilled into the room. Not thinking twice, her mind momentarily drifted away from thoughts of her master as the beauty of the sunrise consumed her. She had always been mesmerized over such simple, human things. Sunrises, sunsets, the moon and stars, beautiful lush meadows and vast oceans, sunny days, the rain... Especially the rain. It all fascinated her. All the small, trivial things that humans take for granted, she adored.

She longed to be able to do the things real people do, enjoy the things real people enjoy. Even if it was just for a little while. So desperately had she always dreamed of being able to simply dance in the rain, but she knew she couldn't. Never, _ever_, under any circumstances, was she allowed to go into the rain.

A hand landed softly on her shoulder, breaking her from her trance.

Sakura's body shot up immediately from her sitting position to a stand, tired eyes wide open, bleak cheeks returning to color. Her breathing raced and her mind was in a jumble as she gazed upon the sullen form of her master. He was composed as usual, his black suit and tie that he always wore was slightly wrinkled, but other then that Sasori looked completely fine. Sakura felt a wave of relief come over her for a moment. Just a moment.

Sakura snapped herself out of her daze, deciding it was time to break the odd silence that loomed between them.

"... M-Master... Master, I-"

"I trust that you enjoyed yourself without my presence last night, Sakura?" Sasori cut in, his words as sharp as ice.

Sakura was taken aback a bit. Her Master's idea of having a bit of small talk at the moment was highly inappropriate, so she decided to ignore the question all togeather and continued.

"Master... What happened last night? What did they say? What did those _people_-"

"Answer me."

It was a command this time. She had no choice.

"... It was fine. He's an illusionist, that's the best I could figure out... I-I... I wasn't able to see the illusion... I believe you need to be _human_ to see..." Sakura spoke, softly.

Something in her words struck a hard chord in Sasori. She couldn't see because she wasn't human. Gritting his teeth and balling his fists, the red haired puppet master's hard eyes bore down to Sakura's slightly shaken form, her confused emerald orbs still searching his face for some sort of answer.

"... Because you weren't human..." he muttered, more to himself. Slowly, a sadistic smile came over Sasori's face, a sort of smile Sakura had never seen before, "... But all that's going to change now."

Twisting his body away from Sakura, Sasori bolted around the room and back to his pervious spot at the working desk. Like a mad man, he shuffled through a disarray of papers frantically on his desk, as if looking for something of great importance.

Watching him, Sakura trembled in fright. This wasn't he master, he never acted like this. Never. The beating in her chest was violent and tears threatened to fall from her perfectly lashed eyes. To say that the pink haired puppet was scared as an understatement. She was completely errified.

Sasori slammed his hands down hard on the desk, releasing a frustrated growl. Sakura let out a small gasp, taking one step backwards.

Breathing in long, deep breaths, Sasori composed himself. Turning around and being graced with the sight of a shock-stricken young puppet only made his face go from emptiness to contorted guilt. Slowly, Sasori took one step forward, but on reflex Sakura took one step back. His face hardened.

Immediately gasping, Sakura realized her mistake. She had flinched from him, she was scared of him. Breaking into a run, her long pink hair whipped ehind her as she jumped into her master's arms and held him tightly, sobbing. Sasori's heart ached, but he dared not show it on his face. Gathering her small frame up into his arms, the puppet master carefully sat himself down on his bed, the puppet still clutching strongly onto him in his lap.

As soon as her shaking had calmed, Sasori gently took her delicate chin in his hand and tilted her face up to him. Apple green eyes shone with worry and a small amount of relief, and he felt worse.

"Shhh now, puppet. No crying. It's all right... I'm alright, I promise you..." Sasori whispered softly into her hair, kissing her head soothingly.

Sakura held tighter, "... W-what's... what's going on? T-this isn't you, Master... Yout aren't l-like this..."

"... I know, puppet... I know... But everything's going to be alright now... I've... I've figured it out..."

Sakura froze. In all her years of being alive, never once had Sasori ever spoken those words, at least not in that context. The tone of his voice, the way he worded the phrase, the odd behavior he was portraying. It all made sense to her now. He was on to something. He was going to set her free.

Sakura stared up at her master with wonder in her eyes, "Y-you couldn't... You couldn't mean that... that you've figured _it _out... could you? B-but how? How could you possibly-"

"I made a deal with them."

And the worry came flushing back. A deal meant a sort of partnership, a trade. And if there was one thing for certain that Sakura knew about her master, it was that he never liked to work with others, he never gave anything in order to gain. He either did it himself, or took it by force.

"... With whom?" she asked, uncertainly.

"_Them,_" Sasori replied, as though he was stating the obvious. But of course, she knew who he was referring to, even if she still hadn't met _them _yet.

"... What did they want from you in return?" she asked, speaking even more softly.

There was no answer.

"What did they want!" she repeated, forcefully.

Sasori shifted his eyes away from hers, "... It doesn't matter what they wanted. All that matters is I have the secret now... I have the secret of turning you into a human..."

Sakura started to shake her head, "But I don't want it this way! Not if you'll be doing something dangerous for _them_. We can figure out another way, another secret! I-"

"There is no other secret." he snapped, and she was silent, "... I've tried, Sakura. For years, we've tried everything... We looked everywhere; we've been all over the world, searching... but nothing. These people... These people know how to do it, they've told me... and I... I can't let this opportunity pass us by... I can't..."

Sakura stayed silent for a long time, thinking to herself while she sat in her master's arms. She knew he wouldn't change his mind now, there was no stopping him. Ever since the day he had first woken her from her sleeping wooden world, he had obsessed over how to make her human, on how to take the final step to insure that they were together forever. She could taste how close he was now, she could feel him yearning for this more then she did herself. She knew there was no stopping him now.

"... How is it done?" she asked, breaking the silence.

Sasori stiffened for a moment, but then spoke, "... It doesn't matter how-"

"Yes, it does!" she screamed.

"... I'm sorry, puppet... but I can not tell you... I will not..." he spoke with remorse.

"... Why not? Why another secret? You won't tell me who these people are, what they want from you, and now you won't even tell me what you have to do to change me! Why are you hiding so many secrets from me? Why!" Sakura cried.

Sasori held her tighter in his arms, "... Please, puppet... please understand... I'm keeping these things a secret to protect you... But I promise... I promise you'll find out soon... I promise you, but for now, you must trust me... Please..."

"... When will you do it... when will you change me?" Sakura breathed out.

Sasori breathed in deeply before answering, "... I can't now, not yet... There are still a few things I need to take care of... But in order for this to work, I need you to do something for me..."

Sakura looked up at Sasori with curiosity, the prospect of helping her master with something brightening her mood. Perhaps, with this small clue that he would ask of her, she could some how figure out the mystery of the secret that can change her into the thing that she so desoerately desired.

"I need you to get close to someone for me... watch him, be with as often as you can... figure out every single minor detail about him, earn his trust..." Sasori explained with careful detail.

Sakura's eyebrows furrowed into confusion. This random request of her master's was not only odd but highly impossible to do due to the fact that he was probably talking about someone at the Unearthed, and Sakura either knew every member here like the back of her hand or there was no possible way that any of them could possibly help them with their goal.

"... Do whatever it takes to get as close as humanly possible to this person for me, Sakura. Go to any means necessary, even if you must make him fall in love with you," Sasori directed with a stern voice.

A gasp escaped from Sakura's soft mouth. Her master was a possessive lover towards her, and his request seemed ridiculously out of place. "W-what? What are you talking about?"

"This boy... this boy is the key to our success; he is the only thing in the way of turning you into a human... You must trust me on this, Sakura. This is the only way... you'll see why I'm asking this of you soon enough, but for now you must follow my order without question... do I make myself clear?"

"Master, I don't see how any of this is relevant to-"

"Do I make myself _clear_?"

Sakura paused for a long time, disagreeing with the arrangement Sasori had thrown at her in the least, but she knew her place, and that was to never question her creator. Reluctantly, she answered, "... Yes, Master... please, tell me... tell me who it is that you want me getting so close to?"

Sasori's eyes darkened, not liking the prospect of having his puppet leave and become close to someone _else_. But he knew it must be done, and he also knew that she would never betray him. Never. So with a reluctant sigh, the red haired puppet master gave out the name. The name that would change their lives forever.

"Sasuke Uchiha."

**- o -**

Slowly... ever so slowly, his hand hovered above the little pot of boiling liquid which rested over a small, candle lit burner. Removing his hand away from the little pot, he carefully grabbed a small test tube full of an odd, florescent pink liquid and dropped three small drops into the strange, simmering concoction.

The liquid steamed a bright red at first, then fell into a musky orange, quickly followed by a pale yellow, finally reaching white again. Releasing a low, frustrated sigh, he blew out the burner and put away the small test tube, clearly unhappy with whatever scientific result his potion had given him.

Scribbling down illegiblye words into the old, leather bound book beside him, he ran calculations over and over again in his head, trying his best to come up with some sort of answer as to this _new mystery_ of the illusionist that was thrown into his grasp.

His technique was so remarkably familiar to him that it actually made him feel quite... Uncomfortable. He remembered something... something about this sort of thing back when he was reading old trasncrips of the clan's history when he was a child. But, he couldn't place a word on it. He couldn't figure out this one puzzle that plagued his mind endlessly ever since he first laid eyes on him.

The Unearthed was a place where everyone knew everything about one and other. Achievements, flaws, corrections, mistakes. It was all out in the open, wound up into a thread of trust bound tightly between them all. But this man... this new man, he was new. A secret. And if there was one thing he did not like above all other things, it was a secret that he was not informed of.

Oh, the irony.

If only he could still access the clan's documents, if only he had looked more, read more when he had the chance all those years ago. Of course, he did not regret his decision to leave them. He never had, nor would he ever. The chance to be free of that life of destitution, of that _cult_, he'd never trade it for anything. He'd never trade his opportunity to escape, to save himself... and of course... to save _her_.

Raking his mind over and over again for answers, he came up with the same thing each and every time. Red eyes... red eyes... where had he hear something about that before? Where had he so much as even suspected a whisper of something else out there besides his own-

"... Nii-san... it's late..."

And he froze, his mind completely emptying of all but that voice.

Slowly, soft arms encircled around his upper torso, petite hands gently and soothingly caressing his covered skin. And that voice... oh yes... that sweet, melodic voice that always hid innocence, always promised sanctuary... No matter how twisted things really were.

Realizing his position, he quickly composed himself and sat upright from his slouching pose, freeing his hands from his long hair and quickly batting his eyes to get rid of the few clues that sleep desperately wished to overtake him. Resenting the fact that he had broken away from her grasp momentarily, he quickly turned his body around to face her's, quickly pulling her frame back into his own.

Soft indigo hair hid what he knew so well to be fresh, ivory skin. Her head barely made it up to his shoulder, but that was alright. He liked the fact that she was so small, so weak... so _delicate_.

He could hear her breathing into his chest; feel her heart beet come in time with his. Yes, it was moments like these that he cherished. Forbidden moments. Moments where he knew that this was all wrong, that what they were doing was wrong. And, of course, moments where he just didn't give a damn.

She sighed, nuzzling her face deeper into his chest, "... You shouldn't be up this late... Its's almost morning..."

His eyes shifted for a brief second over to the window to see the first few traces of the morning sun hitting the sky. He hadn't realized that he had stayed up all night, and now it was almost time that he got up. Grunting a bit, he held onto her tighter, savoring the moment for a little longer.

Her head shifted upwards, pale lavender eyes making contact with his own, "Why must you obsess so much over something as trivial as this? It doesn't matter, _he _doesn't matter, Neji-nii-san..."

Neji smiled softly to himself at the name she had always used for him, ever since they were little. She always disliked using english all the time, even if it was decided that they would leave their old life in Japan behind them. Even in public she would always refer to him in Japanese, and it was alright, as long as the people around them couldn't tell that they were referring to themselves as relatives.

"I'm not obsessing, Hinata..." he defended, quietly, "I'm merely... intrigued. His style of optometry is unusually like our own, he appears out of no where from a supposed massacre... The pieces don't seem to fit... Logically, someone who endured such a traumatic episode in their lives wouldn't go back to the type of environment that would remind them so much of their previous home..."

Hinata sighed, running her hands up and down his back soothingly, "And must you always turn to logic, Nii-san? I don't see how he can threaten us... He's under contract with the Ring Master now, and we'll always be _watching_... I say we leave it be for now. Time will tell us everything we need to know."

Neji gave a sour, almost childish expression, not apppreciating hearing that his cousin's reasons make more sense then his own. Hinata giggled, her hands now making their way to the ends of his bound hair and playing gently with the silky strands.

On the tips of her toes, Hinata craned her head up to his ear, her breath teasingly warming and then cooling his skin. Chills begun to shake Neji's spine violently, an unimaginable amount of possibilities for what she would do next swarmed throughout his mind.

"... Curiosity killed the cat you know, Nii-san." she teased, still gently.

"... But satisfaction brought it back, Hinata..." he breathed out, heartbeat erratic.

She smiled, wickedly, "But you know I can provide better means of satisfaction... better then your silly curiosity can."

And as her lips met his, the games had begun.

The thoughts of the proper way to treat an unwed man or woman fled their minds, hours and hours of etiquette classes were immediately diminished. The fact that Hinata portrayed the image of a sweet, innocent little girl around others was replaced by a hungry, passionate-crazed young woman who was desperate for more. The fact that Neji was always one to keep up a composed and gentlemanly posture was gone. Now, he wanted her, ne _needed _her.

And, above all, the undeniable fact that the two shared the same blood flowing through their veins was almost nonexistent in their minds. That one small peice of information had been disregarded ever since the day years ago when they had first laid eyes on each other.

Hands trailed in a frenzy all over each other. Pants and gasps for air were limited, as they both despised the thought of their lips parting from each other. Hinata tugged on his long hair, releasing it from its bindings and letting it flow like a waterfall down her cousin's back. Neji traced the sides and curves of her body, silently worshiping the beautiful craftsmanship that had created something so fine.

Hinata hadn't even noticed that she was struggling to stand on her toes just to kiss her beloved, but he had. Gathering up her petite body up in his arms, he hoisted her in the air and immediately was rewarded with soft, creamy arms ringing around his neck.

Making a bold move, Hinata removed her lips from his and begun to make soft trails along his jaw and then down along his neck. Sensing that Hinata wanted more then a few passionate kisses, Neji used his one free hand that wasn't holding her up to slowly make its way from her side to the back of her dress, playfully undoing the strings of her corset.

Hinata smirked against his skin, pleased with his new advancements, and just as she was about to place another kiss on the nape of his neck, she froze.

Neji hadn't noticed, seeing as he was still fixated in the passion, but Hinata's body soon begun to shake in a low, vibrating patter. Her heart was beating at an inhuman speed, the grip around his neck tightened. Her white eyes were wide as she slowly lowered her head back down to his skin, running her nose up and down his flesh. Closing her eyes, she breathed in deeply, savoring the sent like a hungry man would savor the smell of freshly cooked meet. As she exhaled, her eyes snapped open again, this time with veins outlining her temples and forehead. The white of her eyes were replaced with many cracks and contraction lines.

She had activated her bloodline. Now she knew, she was about to loose control.

She shook harder, her eyes staring harder and harder at Neji's soft flesh. Her mouth started to water and foam the way a dog's would and the look in her eyes read something unimaginable. Something disturbing.

Hunger.

"... N-Neji..." she whispered, the last bits of reality slowly slipping from her mind.

"Mhhh... Hinata..." he moaned back, thinking she was speaking out of pleasure.

"... Neji... Neji... I'm gonna... I-I'm..._ I want this!_" and she scream, plunging her teeth into his sholder.

As quick as lightning, Neji reacted and dropped the small girl from his arms, but the grip her teeth had on his flesh kept her firmly on him. Animalistic hands clawed at his chest, ripping and tearing at the cotton shirt and releasing wild screams.

Getting aggressive, Neji ripped Hinata forcefully off him, allowing a loud, shrilling scream of protest to escape her lips. She trashed around in his arms violently, trying as hard as she could to bite the nearest peice of flesh to her.

This wasn't the first time this happened. No, Neji wasn't shocked or surprised in the least. As much as it scared him, he knew how to deal with times like these. He knew her stamina was weak, that she couldn't always hold onto her control. She couldn't resist the temptations. At least, she couldn't resist them as well as Neji himself could.

Throwing her to the floor, Neji made a break to run over to the wooden cabinet on the far side of the room. Opening it with haste, Neji searched through all the vials and test tubes of liquid, deserately looking for the one required to set his love free.

Shuffling and footsteps were heard behind him. She was on the move.

Finally finding the right vial on the shelf, he snatched it up in his hands like a precious jewel. Turning around, Neji found himself face to face with Hinata. Her beautiful dress was ripped in all directions; her hair, which was usually kept clean and tightly bound was thrown messily down her shoulders. A wicked gleam glinted in her tainted white eyes. Her mouth watered and her teeth shined with determination.

Keeping completely still, Neji waited for her to make the first move. Just as he predicted, Hinata pounced on him, her mouth wide open and just as she was read to bite, Neji shoved the vile into her mouth. Hinata tried to break away, but Neji's strong grip behind her head kept her in place as the blue, viscous fluid inside the small bottle poured down her throat.

Slowly, her breathing slowed down and her body was released from its tension, falling softly into the waiting arms of Neji. The popping veins on her forehead and eyes calmed and returned back to its original smooth, soft surface.

The bottle was now dried, clean of whatever had perviously filled it. Carefully, Neji removed the top of the vial from Hinata's lips, which begun to cough lightly soon afterwards.

Finally, when Neji was perfectly sure that Hinata was completely calmed down, he quickly gathered her up into his arms and held on tightly, afraid that if he let go she would fall into pieces.

The white eyed girl begun to sob into Neji's chest, holding on as tightly as she could. She felt ashamed, dirty, horrible, and most of all: scared. Scared of what she could have done to him. What she could have done to her beloved.

"N-Nii... Nii-san... I'm-I-... I'm so sorry!" she cried, gripping onto him tighter.

Neji ran one hand up and down her back soothingly while the other rested firmly on her head, "Shhh... It's alright... It wasn't your fault... It's ok now... I'm ok..."

Hinata's body was shaking harder and she found it almost unbearable to speak, "I'm so, so sorry... I-I was... I was just _so _hungry... I couldn't... I couldn't control it..."

"I know, I know, love. It's alright. It's not your fault. You're not to blame. Its alright, it's alright," Neji silently quietly chanted into her ear, easing her pain as best he could.

Hinata's teeth clenched, sudden realization dawning on her. Her face changed dreamatically from guilt to anger. Anger for what _they_ had done to them.

"No... No, it's not my fault. It's not our fault at all... Its those... It's those _bastards_. That filthy, filthy cult! They're the ones that did this to us! They're the ones who made me... Made me what I am," she gritted out, her voice full of malice and venom.

Neji remained silent. He, too, felt just the way she did, but not wanting to fule the fire, he kept it within himself.

"It's all the clans fault... all of this... they raised us like this, the sick bastards... They made us this way! _They're to blame!_ They're the ones who made me want to eat-"

"Enough, Hinata," Neji commanded, his tone hard, "... Don't speak any more about them, you'll upset yourself."

"I don't care! I don't fucking care! It's their fault I'm always hungry, hungry for something that's a sin to taste. They're sick! Sick! They're the ones who killed your father; they are the ones who tried to get me to-"

"I said that's enough!" Neji cut in, his voice as impossibly sharp as ice.

Instantly, Hinata was silenced, realizing the mistake she had made. Bringing up topics having anything to do with the clan had always been a sort of taboo between the two Hyuuga's, but more so was the mere mention of Neji's father.

Guilt stricken, Hinata's face changed once again from angry to once again remorseful. Placing her hands on either side of his face, tears brimmed in her pearlescent eyes as she tried to reconcile once again.

"Neji-nii, I'm... I-I'm sorry! I shouldn't have- I shouldn't have become so outspoken like that, it was improper of me. I apologize, sincerely, I do." Hinata pleaded.

"It's alright..." Neji sighed, kissing the top of her head affectionatly, "but you mustn't loose face like that again, especially not in public. If others were to see you as something other then the character you portray yourself as, we could come across some unrequired trouble. Do you understand?"

"Of course, I-I know better then that. You know I do..." Hinata replied, noddeing her head vigorously like a child who desperately wanted to please her father.

Dropping her head, her voice grew into a faint whisper as she continued. "My one... my one fear, though... is if there were ever a time when I would be without you and my urges would come back, who would stop me? So many times... so many times, when I look out into the audience, when the bloodline is active... so many times do I think of all the ways I could take them... _Taste_ them... I don't- I-I don't know how I can bear it anymore..."

Holding onto her tighter, Neji rocked her body back and forth soothingly, "I know, love. I know... I feel the urges sometimes too; I know how hard it can be. But, I must remember my place, where we are, the difference between right and wrong. And you know, love, you know it's wrong."

Hinata shook her head, her voice full of panic, "No, no, you couldn't possibly feel the urges the way I do, you could never understand how much harder it is for me. You were never apart of the Main Branch, you don't know what they did to me! You weren't fed only _it_ all your life until the point we ran away! _It_ was all I ever ate, you could never imagine how-"

"Shhhh... It's ok... I do understand, darling, I _do_. You must trust me on that. You have nothing to fear, you won't ever loose control, for I will always be with you. I'll always be able to stop you from loosing control, you know I will," Neji cooed, reassuring the girl in his arms once more.

Hinata calmed herself down more, her mind at ease once again, "... Yes... that's right... you'll always be there for me... you'll never leave me alone... I won't be alone..."

Neji kissed her head again before hoisting her into his arms and getting up off the messy floor, "That's right, Hinata. You won't be alone, never alone."

Hinata smiled a soft, delicate smile. She carefully set herself down from Neji's hold, her feet landing softly onto the smooth surface. Glancing momentarily at the window, Hinata could see clearly that the morning sun was now high and bright in the sky. Looking back at Neji, her eyes glimmered.

"Its morning now... I know you must be tired form staying up all night, but they'll wonder where you are if you aren't present soon, not to mention you'll miss your big chance to meet this Sasuke Uchiha person your so fixated on. Go clean and get dressed, I'll clean up in here." nodded Hinata, motioning to the mess they had created along the floor.

Neji nodded his head back in agreement, "Yes... that's right, the newcomer... Alright, I go get ready."

Hinata smiled again before standing on her toes to give a short, chaste kiss on her lover's lips. Neji squeezed her body close to his once more before turning away from her and making his way over to the small bedroom compartment of the caravan that they had set up.

Before Neji could make it more then a few feet away from his blue haired companion, he paused momentarily and spun back to face Hinata. Quickly, he tore his bloodied shirt off his body and gave it to Hinata.

"Quick, burn this before we leave. We wouldn't want unwanted eyes finding their way over to this article of clothing and start speculating," he ordered, his words followed by a dutiful nod from Hinata.

"Of course... I'll go do it now, Nii-san." she smiled.

Neji smiled back for a second, only a second, before turning back and making his way back to his room bare-chested in a hurry.

Had Neji of turned back around for a second time, his eyes would have been greeted with a less-than comforting scene. Had he have turned around, he wouldn't have missed the way Hinata's nose twitched a quite odd fashion. Had he have turned around, he would have seen the peculiar way the petite girl's eyes flash to almost unreadable emotion as they stared hard at the bloodied shirt handed to her.

But most of all, which one could only assume would have struck the young man as the strangest of all, had he turned around again, he would have been able to see Hinata's line of vision move at a deadly speed from his shirt to Neji himself.

Had he have looked when he should have, Neji wouldn't have missed the sight of Hinata licking her lips.

**- o -**

Hardly one to think of, so much as _feel_ any other particular emotion besides numbness, Sasuke Uchiha couldn't help but sense the slight awkwardness of the situation which he was presently faced with.

A smirking Suigetsu. A clininging Karin. A cautious Juugo. And a hyperactive Naruto.

Uncomfortable would be the understatement of the century.

Even with Naruto's incessant rambling on and on about hardly useful tidbits which usually came along with smart ass remarks from Suigetsu, Sasuke was still able to keep his mind and thoughts in check as he carefully studied all the many little details that were kept well hidden inside the Unearthed carnival.

It was still too early in the morning to let customers inside the gates and since the big shows didn't start until late at night, the carnival site was almost lifeless spare for the minor performers and staff that were busy setting up for the arrival of new buisness.

It didn't surprise Sasuke in the least to find that even though this was originally a Japanese carnival there was absolutely nothing around hinting to that fact, besides the people ovcourse. It was a traditional, modern setup with big, flashy food and game stands, old rickety rides with unimaginably bright colors plastered all over them, and huge, black and white striped tents with little flags topping them.

Had this of been any ordinary carnival, Sasuke wouldn't have given any of these little details a second glance.

The thing was, though, it wasn't.

In his mind, everything had a purpose, everything was all mapped out and planned perfectly in hopes of hiding the many secrets of the performers that danced the nights away. And most importantly, every little thing Sasuke overlooked was a step further away from his goal... the goal that he was so close to reaching...

"- and over there is like, the _only _stand which surves ramen, which in my opinion is completely retar-"

"Would you just _shut up _already? God, you're such a fucking pain in the ass, Naruto," Suigetsu snarled, smacking the blond boy over the head with the back of his hand.

"Ow! Show some more respect, Suigetsu. I'm a major performer, and you're a little _nobody,_" sneered Naruto in an uncharacteristic hiss.

Suigetsu's teeth clenched, Naruto's words hitting a soft spot, "Fuck you, you bastard. You haven't preformed for five years ever since _you know when_, so I highly doubt your any better then me, shit face."

Naruto's eyes flashed a dangerous color, "You little fu-"

"C-clould... Could you two please calm down... Its inappropriate to speak that way infront of a lady..." Juugo quietly interrupted cautiously looking around and trying not to make any eye contact with anyone.

Karin blushed a bit, clinging onto Sasuke's side a little tighter and allowing a proud smirk to flash across her face.

Suigetsu snorted, "I don't see any ladies. Only whores."

And just as the red haired woman was about to claw her way angrily at the silver haired young man, the ferocious sound of a high pitched scream snapped the five out of their argument immediately.

Smirking, Karin latched herself back onto Sasuke's arm, looking dead ahead at the now seething blond girl with victory in her eyes.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, _my dear _Sasuke and I are so happy to be here. We can only hope that you all will treat us kindly seeing as we're so new," Karin said sweetly, her crimson eyes flashing brightly.

"Of course, dear," hissed Ino, raising her head proudly, "We are quite aware that_ you _need all the help you can get, so please feel free to always ask."

Shikamaru shifted where he stood uncomfortably, "Ino..."

Snapping her head back to the young, dark haired man, Ino smiled brightly and played with her hair girlishly, "Of course, where are my manners. Let me introduce you to more of our little... _family _we've established here. Since you will be living with us from now on, I see it only proper that we get as close as possible."

Naruto was quick to but in, "Uh, Ino, I was already-"

"I'm sure, Mr. Uchiha, that you've herd of the Hyuuga siblings... Please let me introduce to you Neji and Hinata Hyuuga." announced Ino, gesturing over to a dark alleyway.

Sasuke arched a perfect brow, not quite buying into the sweet act and completely missing the longing stares behind him from a blond haired, blue eyed young boy. Brushing off the female of the duo, Sasuke seemed more interested in the taller male. Although his composure screamed dark and quiet, Sasuke was quite sure that there was more to this man then he was leading on. The look in this Neji Hyuuga's eyes gave off a distrusting feeling for Sasuke, and he didn't like it.

"Charmed, I'm sure," Sasuke replied, emotionlessly.

Blushing darkly, Naruto stepped up to the young Hyuuga girl and gently placed a kiss on the back of her hand, "Miss. Hyuuga...It's been a-a while since I've seen you last... I-I trust you've been well."

Giggling, Hinata affectionately squeezed Naruto's hand lightly before letting her hand fall gracefully back to her side, all the while being watched carefully by the boy who stood rigid by her side.

"Ye-yes... It h-has been a while... I should hope... hope to s-see more of you f-from now on, Naruto..." Hinata's sweet voice chimed, causing Naruto's heart to flutter just a little bit faster.

"So tell me, Mr. Uchiha..." cut in Neji, his cold voice commanding the attention of the group immediately, "Judging by your name and appearance, I think it is safe to assume that your of Japanese origin, so it only leads me to wonder what a Japanese man such as yourself is doing all the way in Europe, surely not just because _we_ are touring here."

Holding his breath for a moment, Sasuke's face grew hard, "You're very quick, Mr. Hyuuga, but just as you have your secrets, I have my own."

Neji's face didn't change, but it could be told that the atmosphere between the two men had become harsher and harsher every moment.

"I don't like being kept out of a secret, Mr. Uchiha," gritted Neji.

"And neither do I," Sasuke responded.

And just as everyone was sure that Neji would pounce, an oddly pitched laughter broke the tension. Snapping his head over to where the source of the sound could be found, Sasuke's eyes were rewarded with the sight of a tall, hunched over man slinking his body across the dirty floor with a dramatic chuckle leaking from his lips.

Bright red hair flashed along with lifeless teal green eyes circled in black, the man held a sinister grin across his face which looked like it could reach the blood red tattoo on his forehead. His clothes were tattered and looked very much unkept, but if one looked closely you could see that the material was of rich quality and styled in some of the finest European fashions.

There was a creepy, odd sort of aura that spread from the boy, so much so that Sasuke was nearly suffocating from it, and he could hardly imagine the type of condition his partner was feeling at the moment herself.

The boy was not human.

Well, at least, not _entirely _human.

Wide eyes flashing unreadable thoughts and feelings, the red haired mystery had made his way up to the small group, his careful gaze reaching everyone at once, one blond haired boy more so then others.

"Hehe... HeheHAHAHAAA... new boy comes to the carnival seeking a toy he can't haaaaave..." the boy versed in an a sing-song voice, his head cocking to the side and his hands gripping invisible objects in mid-air.

"Gaara. Where is your sister?" sternly demanded Shikamaru, the tone of his voice changing from lazy to implacable. No one saw Ino's eyes harden for a spilt second. No one, except maybe for...

The red haired boy proclaimed as Gaara's eyes shifted momentarily towards the voice before returning back to Sasuke, licking his lips at an unimaginable speed.

"The Witch is away... Away, away away... Away today... And when she's away, The Monster will play... Play, play play... The Witch is away... Away, away, away... But when she returns... The Chains will burn... Burn, burn, burn... Away, away, _away_..."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, "What on earth is this fool rambling on about?"

Ino was first to jump in to say something, "Don't pay any mind to that scum, he's just a nobody unless his family has him under their spell. You shouldn't listen to a word he says."

Gaara quirked his head to the side, his voice dripping in a low, dangerous tone, "The Mirror should be silent unless someone looks in her..."

Ino's face went pale.

Gaara's head snapped back to Sasuke's, a bewitched smile spreading widely across his deranged face.

"The New Boy wants and wants and wants and WANTS- but he can't haaaaave it. I see it in his eyes..." his voice is a deadly whisper, "He wants vengeance... He wants power... He wants _blood_... Just like The Monster... Yes... Yes... YES! The Monster wants it, just like the New Boy, and The Monster can help him... Yes... Yes... YES! HE CAN HELP! HAHAHA! HE CAN HELP THE MONSTER BECOME FREE! FREE FREE FREE! FREE LIKE THE BIRD IN A TREE! FREE FREE! VENGANCE! VENGANCE ON THE MASTER! THE MASTER WHO MADE THE MONSTER LIKE THIS, THE MONSTER THAT ONLY KNO-

"Gaara."

And his body snapped low to the ground, his possessed eyes flashing from person to person until he found the one he was looking for. His eyes strained on a tall, dirty blond woman as she made her way past the small group of spectators and towards Gaara himself, clutching some small, inanimate object firmly in her right hand.

"And when The Witch returns, The Chains will burn... Burn, burn, burn..." Gaara sang in a whisper, his hands shaking harder and fidgeting.

Temari grasped tightly onto Gaara's upper arm, pulling him to her side and glaring hard, "Gaara,where's Kankurou?? I left you with him, now where is he?"

Gaara giggled the way a little girl would, "The Nobody is nowhere, doing nothing, with no one. The Nobody is a nobody who wants to be a somebody but caaaaaaaan't."

"Enough of your nonsence, I'm taking you back to your rooms..." Temari growled, jerking Gaara forward.

"Hehe, time for The Monster to go to the caaaaave, go to the cave, go to the cave. But when The Witch goes away, The Monster will plaaaaaaay..."

Sasuke studied the red haired boy carefully as he and his sister drifted further and further into the fog of the morning. Clearly, the man was completely mad. Sasuke had already gotten a clear answer of that when he had seen him perform just the other night before himself. But there was more to him, it seemed. More to his riddles then just insanity. As odd as he found it, Sasuke could see that this lunatic was trying to tell him something important. Something vital.

Something that could only lead one to assume that Gaara, indeed, held all the secrets of the Unearthed trapped inside his disturbed and estranged mind. All the more reason why the people hear made it necessary to _silence _him.

__

I've never lit a match

With intent to start a fire,

But recently the flames

Keep spinning out of control.

**Act Four:  
Scene /End/**

**Authors Notes**

Oh, well, this certinly did take me a... really really long time?

I appalogize, sincerly, friends. This chapter was such a whore to write, for serious. Whatever, I don't really have anything else to say about the story really, only that the next chapter won't be posted untill I have the chapter after that done, and I don't know how long that will take (less time if I get good reviews :) And my exams are comming up, so be worned.

Also,  
I sware,  
If I get any comments says "Ewww, Incest", I'll hunt you down and write a lot of nasty little incest stories to bother you. Watch.

I wrote this story in the sence that not every things perfect, so no, you won't see all the "usuall" pairings because I find that they're getting boaring, over used, redundant and the Fan Fictioning world needs somthing fresh and new, especially in SasukexSakura stories.

AND, NO!

Hinata and Neji _are not_, and I will repeat, are not vampires. I refuse to use any of the usual angle/deamons/vampires/wearwolves/fearies/ect. I'm making this story origional and new, so I refuse to use the usual story lines that are, no offence to thoes out there, getting a bit over done.

However, if anyone can guess what they _really_ are, I'll give you a cookie :).

-

Just a word to the wise

, this story will contain : graphic, mature content. Swaring, violence, sexual content, extreemly mature situations, and all the lovely little goodies that you know you all secretly enjoy so much. Some of the things in this story WILL be hard to handle, but trust me when I say its all for the good of the story.

Editor: Roses Of Sharon, my ever-beloved friend who was the first to read this story and kick me in the ass when I wrote somthing akwardly wrong. I love you.

**-**

__

Next Time On The Greatest Show Unearthed...  
Act Five: Pulchritudinous

It pained him to watch it. To see him touch her, hold her, tast her, kiss her. It sickened him to the core. He wanted it to be him, he needed to some how show her. Show her what he felt.

And just as he was about to turn away, his eyes couldn't help but spot the needle in the man's hand as he slowly started to enject it inside her slim, pale arm.

-

and thats all I have to say about that.

**-Sky**


End file.
